Knights of Remnant
by Frogy117
Summary: All is safe, all is well. The Shadow Troopers have had three months to fit into the peaceful lifestyle they have with team RWBY. Between classes and hanging out, it seems that nothing will disturb the calm they have reached, but it isn't over. Despite their pain, losses and hardships suffered, their past comes back to haunt them.
1. Prologue

-X-21 _Bane_ 1st Person POV-

I walked into the office, it wasn't that big but boy was it impressive. I knew I would be meeting someone important, but I couldn't figure out who it was. I was told to sit in one of the chairs, so I did. I felt a small jolt in my arm when I touched the fabric of the chair.

 _Fierfek_ , I said to myself as a slight pain shocked my arm.

I waited for a little bit before he came in, and I immediately knew how drastic this must have been. The Supreme Commander of the Republic Military, was assigning me a mission. I know I'm one of the best soldiers in the Republic, if not the best, but still. As he walked over to me, I stood at attention.

"At ease." He waved him off.

I sat back down.

"Now," The Supreme Commander strode to his chair. "You are aware of why I called you here, correct?"

I took a long breath before responding.

"Aye, sir. Three months ago, several members of the SOB-DE team dispatched to a planet in the outer rim have gone rogue."

"Yes," CC-088 nodded. "Now, as one of our most elite warriors, and assassins, I am sending you along with a team of some of our best ARC troopers to eliminate the traitors, rescue the prisoners, and end this conflict once and for all." He said, sitting down in his chair.

"Sir who are the trai-"

"No, it wasn't who you're thinking."

I immediately rushed the thought of any of Omega being traitors out of my head, and I sighed with relief.

"Who are they then sir?"

"A team of Covert Ops SBH Troopers." CC-088 explained. "We sent in the 21st Nova Squad, and a Torrent company squad, both failed to accomplish their goals. A large regiment of the Third Systems Army was sent in after the 21st Nova Squad confirmed a green light for invasion. As the rest of the Army came to reinforce, led by General Kenobi, they found that their passage was closed and we lost total contact with our forces. There may yet be hope for the others, we think that at least 1 of the SBH in the second team is loyal to the Republic, and is alive. We are unaware of the 21st Nova's condition, although we predict it may be grave."

I thought for a second, I had met most of the 21st Nova only a few months ago, now they're all dead or being held prisoner?

"Sir, with all due respect, how is this possible?"

"I'm trying to figure out the same thing, '21."

I thought about all the troopers who I'd spent months with on dozens of missions, all suddenly disappearing. As I thought more and more about it, I got angrier, and angrier. I clenched my teeth, and put my helmet back on.

"I'm ready to dispose of this waste, sir." I told him, with the sound of deep hatred and disgust in my voice. As I walked out of the office the Commander said one last thing,

"'21, bring these vile traitors to justice."

I turned and made a promise, "I'll die before I let this scum escape."

I left the office and went down to where a speeder was waiting to pick me up, and take me back to the _Retribution._ The trooper driving the speeder was obviously spooked.

"Trooper, why are you so nervous?"

"Well sir, it's just.. I've never been in the presence of a force user, not even a Jedi."

"Heh, I'm nothing like the Jedi, trooper. I'm much more relaxed about rules, but that doesn't mean I can't rip a super battle droid in half."

"Now that is a sight I'd like to see!"

We arrived shortly after our conversation ended, the trooper gave me a salute and flew off in the speeder. I walked to the Venator class cruiser, which was docked at our military base with a few others. Once I got to my bunk, I found that it wasn't empty. There were several armor sets scattered across each of the six other beds, and it wasn't normal trooper armor. It was heavily modified, not to mention more, geared up he could say.

 _Huh, ARCs_ , I thought to myself.

I had heard the reputations of these elite super soldiers, much like myself, but I'd never had the chance to meet one. I grabbed my helmet and pauldron from my locker. It was the armor of Captain, except the fact he wasn't a Captain. He never really had a rank. He didn't need one either, as he normally worked alone.

Wearing phase I armor, each colored red or blue, three ARCs walked into the room. They were chatting about something random, I hadn't been paying much attention to it, but when they saw me, they each paid their respects, and nodded. I did the same back to them.

I got up and walked over to them, extending my hand, the first one to shake it was the one on the left, "Alpha-087, Ranger, nice to meet you."

"And you as well."

Then the middle one, "Alpha-039, Viper."

"Nice to meet you, Viper."

He nodded again.

"Alpha-066, Ripper."

"Ripper? That's an interesting nickname"

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it before we get planetside."

I got a message on my comms that the Captain of the ship wanted to brief me on the mission, so I went to the bridge to look for the him. I found him in the center of the bridge, waiting for me. I walked down the center aisle, and stopped once I reached him.

"Ah, Bane, is it?" The Naval Captain turned to face him.

"Yes, sir." I stood at attention.

"Well I must say I'm excited to have you with us on this mission. Now, here's the story," The Captain leaned closer to Bane, leading him to a holotable. "Most of the hands on board the Retribution are not aware of your mission. As far as they are concerned, we are moving to defend trade routes towards the outer rim territories."

"And what is our story?" I asked him.

"Under some deep, nasty, covert ops bullshit, intelligence believes they have found an artifact similar to the one located by the SBH and 21st Nova ARCs on Celanon. Here's the catch; it's not in our hands."

"Assuming you plan on keeping this classified, how are we being deployed?"

"We are going to pass by Celanon to, quote-on-quote, _charge routes_ , then make our way to Ord Mantell. During our brief time above the planet, your team will be deployed on a commandeered freighter ship, and land. From there, the mission will be on your own. You won't have any support or contact with us unless you establish one."

"That won't be a problem." I assured the Captain.

"I heard ARCs were tough," The Captain grinned. "Just how tough are you?"

"If you've read my file sir, you wouldn't ask."

"Prep your team 21'." The Captain ordered. "You deploy in twenty. Best to be on the freighter in fifteen."

"One last thing sir." I stopped him.

"Yes?"

"Who is in possession of the artifact?"

"Unknown." The Captain answered. "I'm assuming it's insurrectionist forces, but intelligence says there might be a third party involved."

"Understood sir."

I left the bridge and strode down to the barracks, reaching my bunk. There, I found three more Alpha ARCs waiting for me.

"Ah, Bane," Ranger greeted. "These are the other three Alphas you missed. Alpha-048, Red, Alpha-043, Spade, and Alpha-064."

I stopped for a moment, waiting for the nickname of the third one. When I got no reply, I asked, "And what should I call you?"

"A-64." Alpha-064 shrugged.

"I mean, what nickname do they have for you?"

"Do I need one?"

"You don't want one?"

"Names are for those who want to be more; for those who see themselves as more than just another number. That's not the truth now is it?"

"That's not rather the best way to think about life."

"Prove me to think differently."

I was a bit interested in what went on in this ARC's head. He was cold, hard, and stiff. Why would any clone refuse a nickname, especially ARCs, who were designed to be free thinking.

"Well, good to have you all." I pressed on. "I'd suggest we gear up. We deploy in fifteen."


	2. Chapter 1

-Jared, Tested, GT and TJ, Collective POV-

 _Clang!_

Tested whirled into a set of quick bats. Wielding two metal rods, he attacked Jared as quick as he could. Jared brought his Katanas up and batted the sticks away as Tested activated the built in batteries. They weren't regular rods. They were collapsible shock sticks.

After stepping back from a slash, Tested leaned in and interchangeably brought blows down on Jared. Jared managed to parry each set of blows until one hit his wrist.

The jolt of the stick numbed Jared's arm for a few seconds, forcing him to drop one of his weapons. Jared sidestepped from a downwards attack and blocked the following side attack. Jared spun into a sidekick, hitting Tested in the lower abdomen.

Tested planted his heels and skidded shorter than intended to, then launched himself at Jared. Attacking left, right, left-left, right, Jared still managed to block or deflect the attacks. Jared almost didn't expect a kick to his knee, sliding his leg back to avoid the attack, then leaned in, jamming the butt of his Katana into Tested's chest.

Tested kept a firm stance, quickly pushing himself back into swings. At one point, Tested slid Jared's Katana down and slammed his free shockstick into his shoulder.

Jared grunted from the numbing pain, but still remembered where Tested had left himself open on the left. Jared's free hand went around and deflected Tested's next attack as he spun, sweeping his leg under the Sergeant, sending him back first into the ground.

A red light started flashing on Tested's scroll attached to his hip and a buzzer was ringing. He looked up at the smirking Jared, chuckling as he gave him a hand up.

"Nice job," He winked. "If your plan was to get put on your ass."

Tested sighed and rubbed his back from the pain. Jared patted his shoulder and went over to his duffle bag sitting on the edge of the ring. TJ and GT were there too. The whole gang was in their SBH armor, minus their helmets, sparring in the training room at Beacon Academy. TJ came up to Tested, shooting a glare at Jared.

"Don't beat yourself up," He assured. "You've come very far in a few months."

"Nope," Tested sighed. "Apparently that's Jared's job."

"And I love my job." Jared chuckled as he took a long drink from his water bottle.

"You've gotten a lot better at utilizing your aura for physical defence," TJ explained. "But you should try using you shield semblance as well."

"Don't forget, your aura is only as strong as you are." GT added.

It had been three months since the group had defeated Shash and the regiment of the Third Systems Army sent to wipe them out. Ever since then, they maintained a normal civilian life at Beacon. Well, more like training to be Hunters.

"Let's go again." Tested ushered.

"As much as I'd love to beat you up _again_ ," Jared joked. "I have somewhere to be."

"What, are you meeting your bimbo girlfriend?" Tested scoffed.

Jared turned back at Tested in annoyance.

"As a matter of fact, I am," Jared nodded. "I have a date with Yang tonight, and I'd rather go smelling fresh rather than stank."

"What, got tired of hitting me, now you're going to hit up Yang?"

As Jared rolled his eyes and shot a glare, GT started snickering in the background.

"One last free for all," GT stated. "Then you can go have a bang with Yang."

The three other SBH let out a short laugh while Jared stood either embarrassed, or enraged.

"Alright," Jared sighed and drew his swords. "You know what? Fuck you guys. Let's go!"

TJ ejected his forearm wrist blades he acquired from the late Nova ARC Detta, leaving his main sword on his back. GT drew his sword in one hand and his beskar dagger in the other. The four squared off for their friendly match, coming ready to blows.

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow was drifting, feeling himself float in the blackness of space. He arched himself forward at the approaching structure. Immediately, he switched his helmet's HUD filter to night vision, trying to get a look at the dark spots. This is the last place he wanted to be ambushed. Finally, he made contact with it, landing with a metallic ding. Realizing it was a metal structure, Shadow activated his magnetics in his boots, making him stick to the ground. He walked, for what felt like hours, until he reached an opening, about two meters wide. Shadow leaned over to investigate, and then…

"Shadow, wake up!"

Shadow woke up in a gasp. He was still where he was before, wearing black jeans and a Black hoodie, sitting in a coffee shop, except Blake was standing over him with two coffees in her hands. She was glaring at him.

Shadow shook off the sleepy feeling and said, "Sorry."

Blake rolled her eyes and took her seat at the table.

"You've been tired for weeks," Blake sighed. "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing." Shadow replied.

Blake gave him an irritated stare.

"Hey," Shadow leaned forward, grasping Blake's hands. "I'm all right. Don't worry about it."

"I just don't understand how you go to bed so early and still end up tired."

"Well, maybe I get tired from school," Shadow shrugged. "It has been a lot to catch up on due to the event three months ago."

"Is it Shash?" Blake asked softly.

"No." Shadow shook his head. "He's gone. He's dead. There is no reason for him to bother me-"

"-Except haunting." Blake interrupted. "Are you sure you are okay? You know you can tell me anything."

"Don't worry Blake," Shadow flashed her a smile. "I'm fine."

Blake sighed and changed the subject.

"So, how is everyone settling in?"

"Well," Shadow began. "The twins have gotten really used to team attacks, and are rather unstoppable as a duo. Jared is fine as well. He also tells me Tested has gotten a lot better since he first arrived on Remnant. He's chosen less lethal weapons for some unknown reason."

"Didn't he say he was trying to make an honest living?" Blake raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, why?"

"I'm kinda curious how he managed to buy a car recently."

"He's got a night job," Shadow explained. "It pays well."

"What type of job?"

"Let's just say that Yang helped him get it." Shadow tried to be discreet.

"Are things okay without Designer?"

 _Designer_. That name burned like the sun in Shadow's chest. He never got a proper burial; not an official one anyway. He was buried in the same place Titus was, along with a discreet memorial of Tested's team. Shadow also had access to Designer's weapons caché, leaving him a few prototype inventions like silencers or sensors. Even in death, Designer's gadgets would help protect them.

"It's as good as it could be." Shadow answered Blake's question after a pause. "It's just… He was an old pal."

"It's kinda nice for everything to be back to normal." Blake realized Shadow was a tad bit uncomfortable with the current topic. "Back to school, focusing on our studies."

"That sounds like Weiss." Shadow chuckled.

"I meant it, Shadow."

"Yeah," Shadow sighed, flashing a quick smile. "It's good not worrying about dying tomorrow."

A beeping came from Blake's scroll. Blake reached and pulled it out of her belt.

"What is it?" Shadow asked.

"History class," Blake sighed. "It begins in thirty minutes."

"Damn," Shadow cursed as he stretched. "It feels like we just got here."

"C'mon," Blake pulled Shadow's arm. "We can catch the next airship and make it on time."

-X-21 Bane 3rd Person POV-

Bane clutched his seat, biting down on his teeth as the frame of the rusty old freighter shuddered from the quick deployment. They practically launched as soon as the Venator dropped out of hyperspace. The cabin went dark as the lights flickered out. Bane couldn't see the other ARCs, but he could feel their presence through the force. Like him, they were holding in for their dear lives.

"Entering atmosphere!" Ranger called out. "We're coming in hot!"

Bane heard some rattling going on within the cargo bay close by.

"Are the weapons secured onto the deck?" Bane asked.

"Who secured weapons?!" Ranger asked. "Viper?!"

"I gave it some tape!" Viper replied. "I didn't think entry was gonna be this bad!"

A pounding impact vibrated the deck to the point where Bane's face slammed into the interior of his helmet. His cheekbones bruised from the hit.

"Anyone got an idea of what that was?" Bane gritted his teeth.

"Sounds like AA gun fire!" Viper called out.

Bane heard some curses of pain and grunts from the other ARCs, but there was not much they could say. Through the force, Bane felt the integrity of the craft slowly failing. He could also feel the anti air gun fire impacting on their freighter. They were going down hard.

"Brace yourselves!" Bane yelled as he knew they were about to hit ground.

The freighter shuddered like never before. It was something Bane has experienced more than once, but in the end, nobody is prepared for a crashing ship, no matter how experienced you are. You aren't prepared for the burning and twisting sound of metal, the whiplash causing jerks of movement, and the impact that could pulverize bone.

Finally, the shuddering stopped. Bane looked around, seeing only pitch black. After reaching out with the force, he was relieved to find out the others were alright. Bane hit the release mechanism on his belt. It didn't respond. He jammed the button in several times. After getting no response, Bane reached for his prized weapon. To his surprise, it was not on his belt.

 _Fierfek_ , he thought. _It must have decoupled in the crash._

Bane, having no other option, wrapped his hands around the lock mechanism and pulled, putting all his strength into tearing it apart. He unclipped a floodlight attachment from his belt and planted it onto his helmet, illuminating the room. As he shined the light in other places, the Alpha ARCs began to move. Slowly, each of them unbuckled from their seats. Ranger was already in leadership mode.

"Viper, Spade, Ripper, secure weapons," Ranger nearly toppled to his feet as he picked up his WESTAR M-5 rifle. "Red, A-64, Bane, with me."

Bane, not bothering to locate his rifle, felt out through the force, feeling the cool, cylindrical object. He reached out, letting it fall into his hand. His lightsaber.

A-64 had picked up a random DC-15S while Red had his sidearms out. Bane could see their transparent eyepieces flashing tactical weapon information for their heads up display, such as adding sights.

It was all hand signals. As soon as Ranger and 64' cleared the entrance, they waved Bane and Red forward. Ranger held a fist, then pointed to his eyes. Bane got the message along with the others. He flipped his rangefinder down and activated his night vision. The ARCs didn't wear range finders on their helmets, utilizing eyepieces instead for night vision. Bane sensed nothing in the perimeter of the forest they crashed into. Animals, yes, but nothing hostile.

"Clear." Ranger announced in a breath, almost too silent to be heard. "64', keep an eye out."

A-64 tilted his head barely an eighth of an inch to nod. Bane was surprised Ranger caught it. He motioned Bane and Red inside.

"Viper, talk to me." Ranger ordered.

"We're good on weapons." He said with envy.

"-But most of the tech was damaged in the crash." Spade finished.

"Any leads on who the fuck shot us down?" Ranger frowned.

"Nav computer is dead." Ripper replied as he came from the cockpit. "Controls are fried and the power is gone."

"That wasn't a Seppie proton cannon," Viper assured. " If it was, we wouldn't be here."

"So, we'll have to find out." Ranger muttered. "Arm yourselves and pack as much as you can carry. Our attackers know where we crashed, and I'd prefer to fight them on my terms."

"Yes sir!" The ARCs chanted.

Bane went over to his crate, immediately grabbing his DC-15A. He knew which one was his. With the heavy modifications to it, you couldn't mix it up with anyone else's. He had overcharged the power regulator in favor of a more powerful and more accurate shot, but the trade off was always the overheating. Should he fire too often, he could melt the firing mechanism. After inspecting it, he slung it across his back and secured more ammunition in some attachable pouches that clipped perfectly against his white, plastoid, alloy armor plates.

"Hey," Bane called out to A-066. "You never told me why they call you _Ripper_."

The Alpha ARC slung his DP23 shotgun and looked up at Bane. He held out his forearm, and from his knuckle plates, ejected small, Commando class vibroblades.

"You should see me against a Super battle droid up close." He chuckled.

"I see." Bane muttered, then grew more interested when he saw some exotic weapons. "Now where did you get those?"

Ripper donned his dual Trandoshan Submachine guns. They were not Republic issued weapons, but they were pretty effective in certain situations. Bane recalled seeing a group of Trandoshan mercenaries mow down a squad of clones with tactical efficiency.

"Let's just say the Republic isn't too strict or mindful of what weapons we take." Ripper strapped the weapons to his thighs. "Just ask Spade."

Bane looked over at Spade, who was loading his FC-1 flechette launcher.

"I didn't think anyone used projectiles these days." Bane remarked.

"Call me old fashioned," Spade shrugged. "Either way, you survive a shot by this, you are gonna be bleeding out with a hundred shards of shrapnel inside of you."

"Depends on their range." Red inspected his DC-15X, sighting down the scope. "But some people," Red levelled the empty weapon at Spade and pulled the trigger, "Don't need to get that close."

"Got that right." Viper spun his Z-6 rotary cannon, making sure the chain gun was working. Bane also noticed he carried some sort of rocket launcher on his back. Viper hooked the cannon to the back of his hip and picked up his WESTAR M-5, snapping on a grenade launcher attachment below the barrel.

"Carrying anything special Bane?" Ranger nodded over at him, as he clipped his DC-15S to his belt. "Other than your 15A?"

Bane unclipped the metal hilt from his belt. His prized weapon. With the flick of a button, a single beam as black as space emerged, lighting up the whole room. The ARCs paused at the buzzing ignition, freezing in the middle of their tasks to see Bane.

"A lightsaber?" Ranger breathed.

Bane let the blade hum and shine for a few moments before letting it dissipate, then hooked the hilt to his belt.

"I trust you read my file?" Bane asked.

"Well, I did," Ranger shrugged. "But honestly, I thought most of it was bullshit."

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

"Hey, ass hole!" Shadow woke up, startled by a nudge. "You're holding up the line."

Shadow was standing in line for food, wearing the school uniform.

"Hey!" The student behind Shadow shoved him forward. "You gonna move?"

Shadow put all his restraint into his rage, turning around very irritated, shooting the impatient student with a fiery stare. The student seemed to back off, but Shadow reached forward, grabbing his tray. The student flinched, then relaxed, as Shadow did nothing, or so he thought. The student looked down a moment later to see his tray transformed into molten plastic, splattered on the floor. Shadow gave him a wink, then turned back to the counter to get his food.

After grabbing some chicken and mashed potatoes, he made his way to the table his friends sat at. Shadow noticed Ruby was telling a story as he arrived, only hearing something about a Grimm attack that they had held off, but aside from the whole gang, Shadow noticed four new people.

"Hey Shadow!" Ruby greeted. "Let me introduce you to our other friends!"

"You guys have other friends?" Shadow asked in a sarcastic tone.

"More friends than you I bet." Yang shot back with a smirk.

"Ooh… roasted!" Jared laughed as he smacked Shadow in the back.

"Hey Jared, remember that scouting mission on Felucia?"

Jared switched to an annoyed expression.

"Never. Speak of that. Ever again."

"What happened on Fee-lucy-a?" Yang tried to pronounce.

"Nothing." Jared quickly tried to stop her.

"Armor leak after some fighting with the local animals," Shadow explained with a grin. "We had to take a dive into a shit pond to evade a droid patrol. Let's just say that he had a crappy day."

Jared grumbled as he went back to eating his food.

"Hi," The new blonde male reached his hand out. "I'm Jaune Arc."

"That's a firm handshake you've got there Jaune." Shadow lied.

"Eh, it's in the family." Jaune shrugged.

Shadow and Jared exchanged glances of humor.

"This is my team," Jaune continued. "Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren."

"Pyrrha Nikos," Shadow remembered. "The invincible girl. I've heard of you."

"You're too kind." Pyrrha blushed at the comment.

Shadow couldn't tell them apart from each other by their attire, due to them all wearing the school uniform. But Pyrrha had long red hair, all tied into a high ponytail that went down to the small of her waist. She also had emerald green eyes and wore a bronze circlet under her red bangs. Nora had short orange hair and greenish-blue eyes. She also seemed rather… hyper. Ren, had long black hair in a ponytail that ended at the center of his back. He also had a pale pink streak of hair going along ponytail, matching the colour of his eyes.

"So what team are you guys?" Jared asked.

"Team JNPR!" Nora replied in a flash.

"I will never understand the team naming process here." Tested sighed.

"Well what was your Squad name?" Ruby asked.

"We didn't have an official name, other than _Rescue Team_ ," Tested replied. "But we were all part of the 501st Torrent Company."

"Well," GT slapped him on the back. "You're part of team TJGT now. It's a funny coincidence that you and Titus had the same letter for your name."

"Still gonna hang on team RWBY, Shadow?" Jared teased. "Or are you gonna reunite with us officially?"

Shadow shrugged, offering a wink.

"So what's been happening lately?" Jaune asked.

"Top of studies, as usual." Weiss bragged.

"Cool stuff!" Ruby replied.

"Chillin' like villains." Yang smirked as she leaned back to stretch. "By the way, my eyes are up here, Jared."

"I am clearly looking the other way." Jared snapped.

"Were you?"

"In other news," TJ progressed the conversation. "Heavy rebuilds on the damaged area of the city. I'm glad they finished the school early."

"Funny how the shady side of town has barely received any damage from the attack." GT added.

"We should really be eating." Blake interrupted.

"Eating, ha!" Nora laughed. "Have you guys told them about the food fight we had earlier this year?"

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

Bane sensed the whole team freeze when his hand went up, forming a fist. He held up two fingers, ever so slowly pointing to his eyes, then to the location of their threat. Through the bushes, trees, and shrubs, Bane saw his two targets in gunmetal grey armor. They weren't insurrectionist forces, and they were carrying Republic grade, clone standard issue DC-15Ss. He waited for the ARCs to acknowledge the warning before signaling Alpha-048, _Red_ , forward with his DC-15X. Red immediately paused after Ranger held his arm out, blocking him. Bane tilted his head in slow motion towards Ranger's sighting. It was another group of targets, sixteen in total, carrying Republic weapons, including the DC-15A and DP23. There was another team of six as well, carrying similar arms. Bane activated his private commlink with the others and locked his helmet speakers.

"Two targets dead ahead, sixteen forty five degrees west, and another six ninety degrees east," Bane called out. "All carrying military grade weaponry."

"I thought the insurrectionist forces were cleared out from Celanon." Ripper clicked his teeth.

"Those aren't insurrectionists." Ranger shook his head lightly. "But it is concerning that they are carrying Republic Weaponry."

"Whoever they are, patrols have to mean that we are close by their base." A-64 predicted.

"Pass or kill?" Red asked eagerly.

"We'd have to go through them anyway," Ranger stated. "We'll take them down. Viper, bombard their position at thirty meters. A-64, Bane and I will take 'em head on while Spade and Ripper come around on the left flank and bum rush them. Red, provide cover fire from here."

"Hold up," Bane's words froze the team again as they got in position to attack. "This is going to be a thick firefight. Too much gunfire is going to alert the enemy base."

"Stealth isn't an option, Bane," Ranger disagreed. "We aren't a stealth team. We aren't outfitted with silencers. We are gonna make noise."

"I want this done quick and efficient," Bane argued. "Regardless of the fact that this firefight has a high chance of alerting the enemy base, I'd rather finish this quickly and give them less time to prepare for our arrival."

"What do you have in mind?" Ranger grumbled.

Bane scanned the environment, looking for a tactical position. He saw an array of knee high shallow trenches in a narrow clearing thirty degrees northwest, ten meters ahead. The trees arched perfectly over it, and seemed thick enough for ambush.

"Ranger, you and Viper move to the edge of the clearing," Bane explained. "Get under the fallen tree and use it to conceal yourselves. Spade and Ripper, get on the trees. A-64, with me. Red, when they reach ten meters of this location, start picking them off. Try to drive them into the trenches. Ranger, Viper, open fire behind them approximately thirty seconds after you hear Red's shots.

"You mean after they hear the body drops." Red chuckled.

"A-64 and I will fire in thirty five seconds." Bane continued. "As soon as we have them pinned on on the ground, all teams will cease fire. Ripper, Spade, drop in and rain on their parade.

"You got it." Ripper snickered.

"Move out." Bane ordered, and the group split up.

Bane admired the efficiency of the ARCs already. The way the group had split up so quickly and organized was astonishing compared to the standard Clone units. Leading A-64 to a good spot, he noticed the experience and cold, hard training drilled into him as he kept his eyes on the patrol, but still managed to keep up with Bane, not trip over any branches, and still toy with the settings on his DC-15A. Using his rangefinder, he could see the others already in position. From their spot, Bane had a restricted, but still noticeable view of Ranger and Viper, hiding on their backs under a tree log, frozen like statues. Their WESTARs rested on their bellies, and Bane could barely notice them slowly taking aim. Ripper and Spade were nowhere to be seen, but A-64 has assured him they were in position. As the patrol squads linked up and got closer, Bane and A-64 proned on their bellies, staying in thick bushes to hide their white armor. Any moment now, Bane would hear the…

 _Blam-Blam-Blam!_

Three cracks of a DC-15X sniper rifle discharged, almost sounding as one shot. Bane could not tell who Red had targeted first, as three of the hostiles dropped in sync. The enemy patrol had frozen, not realizing what had happened yet. Red gave them two whole seconds before another trio of shots clapped like thunder, dropping another three hostiles. Bane still, could not tell who Red had shot first.

The enemy patrol had moved from their spot, running right to the trenches Bane had wanted them to. Two cracks that sounded like one dropped two more hostiles, making them run like crazy. They almost ran past and overshot Bane's trap, and would have been stepping on Ranger and Viper had they not opened up on the enemy at a range of one meter. The twin WESTARs gunned down the entire row that led the escape.

Bane still counted their numbers as eleven, and planned on thinning it out.

The patrol squad had backed away to a safer position from Viper and Ranger, who were on their bellies, firing in three rounds bursts. Bane and A-64 fired, knocking down five targets before they knew what had hit them. With a combined field of fire from Viper, Bane, Ranger and A-64, the hostiles dropped to their bellies as well, hoping to avoid their gunfire. Then Bane ceased, with Viper, A-64, and Ranger doing the same one second later. It was at this moment, Bane finally saw Ripper and Spade as they dropped from the trees, almost precisely above the hostiles. Ripper was already spraying, spinning in circles as he dual wielded his Trandoshan SMGs and Spade emptied his FC-1 flechette launcher, kicking up dirt as at least twenty tiny projectiles exploded from each flechette he fired. Together cut down what remained of the patrol in mere seconds.

"Clear." Spade called out over the commlink.

"Meet up at Ranger." Bane ordered everyone, motioning at A-64 to follow.

By the time Bane, A-64 and Red got to Ranger's position, Viper and Ripper were already searching for more hostiles while Spade was policing enemy weapons and dragging bodies into the bushes.

"Your aim is on point, Red." Viper chuckled.

"Isn't it always?" Red replied.

"Firefight didn't last more than a minute." Ranger reported.

"Forty nine seconds by my count." Bane added, sounding impressed.

"Hold up," Red interrupted. "While I was in my sniping spot, I managed to get a location on what shot us down. Artillery cannons, Republic grade."

"They could turn this forest into a fireball." Ranger grimaced.

"They won't," Spade interjected, approaching them with a radio. "They still have patrols in the forest, and are recalling them now. We should have enough time to make it there."

"Make it where?"

"Approximately twelve degrees east from this position, seventeen hundred meters away." Red pointed.

"Then we better get moving." Bane stated. "But, Red, I want you to stay here and do something for me."

-Blake 3rd Person POV-

Blake woke up in the middle of the night. She was still in her bed at team RWBY's dorm. She wasn't sure what had woken her up. Not needing to turn on the light, she peered around her, looking for her teammates. She saw Ruby and Weiss fast asleep, with Ruby in her usual snoring state and Weiss in her straight and formal position. Yang was also still in her bed, Blake noticing the pressure of the wood.

Blake got up and looked towards the window. It was wide open.

 _Probably something from outside_ , Blake figured was the sound that had woken her up.

She got up slowly and silently, only making a sound when a book fell. She bent down to pick it up. After reading the title, _Ninjas of Love_ , she quickly shoved the book under her pillow.

She made her way to the window, closing the opening and locking it shut. After glancing at the moon high in the night sky, she made her way back to bed. Just before she laid down, she paused. Something didn't feel right. She reached out with her Aura, feeling what was wrong. Blake couldn't figure it out.

Not knowing what else to do, she put her slippers on and crept towards the door. She turned the knob ever so slowly, keeping the others in her peripheral vision. Then she slipped out, going over to Shadow's dorm next door.

"Shadow?" Blake whispered as she opened the door slightly. "Shadow?" She asked once more after not hearing a response.

This was odd. Blake knew even the slightest noise could wake up Shadow. She slowly opened the door more and more, her eyes darting through the shadows. Blake realized why Shadow hadn't answered. He wasn't there. His bed was neatly made and his pajamas were laid flat in the middle. Blake couldn't help but notice his window was open. She rushed over, looking to see if he was anywhere outside. Blake sighed, realizing he was long gone. His armor was gone too, Blake finding an empty compartment under his bed.

 _Where could he be?_

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow's infrared scope picked up multiple contacts within the warehouse a quarter block away from him. Whoever they were, they were not civilians. This district of the city was still under repair, and that warehouse seemed a lot more fixed up than the rest of the damaged ones around it.

To Shadow, the fight hadn't ended. Ever since Shash and his Nova ARCs were defeated, Shadow had been focusing on locating any remaining Republic forces that may have escaped the conflict. Judging by their numbers, Shadow guessed these clones were part of the Airborne/Armored unit that was sent ahead and pave the way for a Republic invasion. The first wave of the attack.

Shadow counted the red bodies, finding a total of eighteen. Four of them seemed to be in guard positions; two of them on the front entrance two of them on the rear, watching the doors. The rest seemed to be either talking or fixing unknown equipment. Shadow wanted to do this as quickly as possible. He jogged quietly over to the front door, setting a breaching charge, then circled around the building, doing the same to the rear. Shadow fired an ascension cable from his DC-17M at the roof, then scaled the warehouse, making his way to the top. He flipped off his infrared and switched to a normal scope, peering through the ceiling windows. Concentrating his flames into his fingers, he began to melt a large hole into the glass, eying the clones down to make sure he wasn't giving his position away. He could pick up faint traces of conversation down there. They were mainly talking about supplies and attempting to find their way back to Republic territory. This group was pretty geared up. They had a whole LAAT gunship inside taking half of the space in the warehouse while the other half served as a makeshift barracks, armory, and mess hall.

Shadow knew exactly what to do. He just had to time this just right. He pulled two metal spheres from his belt in one hand, and a remote detonator in the other hand. He pressed the buttons on the spheres and braced for combat.

 _Here we go._

Shadow kicked in the glass he cut, falling through the opening, tossing the spheres towards the half of the room occupied by the majority of the clones. The metallic spheres went off, absorbing everything within a meter, and burning everything within ten meters. Shadow focused his aura below him, absorbing most of the impact from the fall, and softening his landing. He hit the detonator in his right hand, and the breaching charges set on the doors went off, catching the guards by surprise with their backs to the explosion.

Shadow drew his DC-17M and turned towards the open half off the room. Designer's incendiary grenades were not made for explosive use, but more as a less chaotic molotov. Judging by the screams and rising flames before Shadow right now, they were doing their jobs. Shadow tossed a thermal grenade on the LAAT behind him, setting the timer to eighty seconds. He would need no more than that.

A few clones did not get caught in the flames and we're picking up their weapons to counter their attacker. Shadow fired his Deece in single shots, conserving ammunition. He took almost all of them out before they fired a shot. He left the burning clones rolling on the ground, screaming in agony. The fire started to rise to the ceiling. Shadow could feel the heat. He looked towards the rear entrance and saw a few clones fleeing. Shadow held his breath and sprinted through the fire, his kama protecting him from burning.

His HUD outlined his targets the moment he stepped out of the building. Shadows adjusted and cleared up as his low light sensors enhanced his vision. Firing in single shots, he took down two of the three fleeing clones, hitting them in the back, then shot the last one in the leg. The bolt tore through his kneecap and the clone howled in pain. Shadow scanned the area for more hostiles as he made his way over, hearing the thermal detonator blow the LAAT apart. The building began to collapse behind him in flames. As Shadow approached his target, he found that the clone was not in clone armor, but wearing an officer uniform. He was on all fours, still grunting from the pain, but Shadow saw the concealed sidearm attempting to level with his face. He grabbed the pistol by the barrel and twisted it back on the user, jerked the gun in an awkward position, then yanked it free. A loud resounding crack came from the officer's hand and he yelped, clutching his gloved hand in agony. Shadow's HUD identified him as a Lieutenant in the Third Systems Army, nicknamed _Parce_.

"Where are they?" Shadow asked, his voice dark and menacing.

"What?" Parce muttered, still groaning from the pain.

"I said, where are they?" Shadow repeated.

"Where are who?"

"The others." Shadow stated. "I know there are other survivors."

"Buddy," Parce chuckled. "You've got the entire Vale force here."

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

"Hands up!" An unexpected voice called out. "Hands where we can see 'em!"

Shadow realized he was surrounded. Four Airborne units, surrounding him entirely, weapons leveled.

"Oi," The lead Airborne unit yelled. "I said hands up!"

Shadow took a deep breath and slowly raised his hands.

"There we go, nice and easy."

Shadow watched his motion tracker as the nearest Airborne trooper came behind him, lowering his weapon to subdue him. As soon as he heard the clone barely a foot away from him, he reached behind and grabbed the trooper by the wrist, swinging him forward. A set of rounds were fired by his comrades. Shadow spun and used the trooper as cover, but felt one shot burn his chest. He kicked the dead clone away and drew his sidearms, killing off his opponents. After making sure everything was clear, he holstered his sidearms and turned back to Parce, who was staring at him in fear.

"Now back to my question," Shadow sighed. "Where are the remaining Republic forces on Remnant?"

"I don't know," Parce hissed. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Shadow's brow twitched as he took a breath and grabbed the officer by the collar, smashing him into a nearby wall.

"You are lying." Shadow gritted his teeth. "Don't even try."

"I am a clone trooper in the Grand Army of the Republic, CT-1230, rank Lieutenant," Parce stated. "That is all I am authorized to say."

Shadow knew that standard clones were trained to resist torture, but he also knew that the standard trooper's torture training wasn't as intense as anyone in the Special Operations Brigade, and Shadow knew exactly how to inflict as much pain as possible.

"You know," Shadow scoffed as he drew his vibroblade. "I'm such an easy going guy." Shadow placed the tip of the blade above his right eye, pointing upwards into his skull. "You would not like to get me angry."

Shadow plunged the blade into the trigeminal nerve. He knew that he hit his target. Parce screamed like never before. Shadow was struggling to keep his head still. Then he pulled the blade out, letting the blood gush from his brow.

"Let's try this again." Shadow growled.

-Jared 3rd Person POV-

Jared could sit through this class, as bored as hell, and still retain the information needed. The fast talking, speedy, green haired Professor Oobleck was relentless in his lesson, almost never slowing down. Jared's eyes rolled to the ceiling, still noticing unpainted areas in the architecture, just fixed up from the attack on Beacon.

"Jared!" Professor Oobleck's voice shook him fully awake. "Not paying attention in my class, now are you?"

"No sir," Jared replied. "I'm paying attention."

"Then perhaps you can tell me one of Vale Kingdom's greatest failures in expansion?" Oobleck stood in front of his desk, his eyes staring at him behind his thick glasses.

"Mountain Glenn, sir," Jared answered almost immediately. "Fell to constant Grimm attacks as Vale forces could not hold them from the city."

"And the geography of this settlement?"

"To the southeast of the kingdom, home to wild forests and deep caves. It didn't have the natural borders needed to protect the settlement efficiently."

Oobleck stood still for a few moments, glaring at Jared, before saying, "Don't doze off in my class." The Professor zoomed back to the board, continuing his lecture.

Jared looked down at Yang in the row in front of him, who had turned around to face him. Jared flashed her a smile and winked. Yang smiled as she rolled her eyes and turned back towards the whiteboard. Jared felt a nudge to his side. He turned to answer to GT.

"Nice save." GT chuckled as he whispered, but was then interrupted by a nudge from his brother, TJ.

"Something to add over there, GT?" Oobleck asked.

"No sir." GT said apologetically.

"Then let me do the talking."

All of a sudden, the bell rang.

"Well I suppose that's all the time we have today," Oobleck grumbled. "Be sure to complete the assigned reading and the reports by next class. We shall be having a quiz to assure that you do so."

Then Professor left, zooming out the door before Jared could even stand up from his desk. He slipped his notes and textbooks into his backpack and slung it over his right arm, making his way down the row.

"Damn," GT sighed as he followed Jared. "He's taking it hard on us."

"Correction; all teachers are taking it hard on us." Jared replied.

"Well, can you blame him?" TJ asked. "Several weeks of no school? They need to finish the curriculum by the end of the year."

"Was it not always this hard?" Tested piped in as he caught up with the group.

"I don't think you'd be the best judge of this, considering you missed three months of regular classes before your three months of accelerated classes." GT stated.

"It's not that bad." Tested shrugged.

"Three words Tested," GT sighed. "We-have-lives."

"I have a job." Tested pointed out.

"Mhm," GT nodded. "And what do you do when you aren't hanging with us or working?"

"Studying."

"Point proven."

"Speaking of lives," Jared interrupted. "I'll catch you guys later."

Jared sped ahead, catching up to team RWBY, specifically Yang. He bumped into her, placing his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey firecracker." Jared teased.

"What happened to dynamite gal?" Yang leaned on his shoulder.

"Gotta keep flowing," Jared replied. "I can't call you the same thing all the time. That gets boring."

"Alright," Yang rolled her eyes. "What should I call you? J-man seems overused now. Should I call you J-erry?"

"Well don't give me a shitty nickname, and by the way," Jared leaned closer to her. "J-man can never be used."

"Sure thing slick." Yang gave him a quick kiss.

"We still on for tonight?" Jared asked.

"Three date nights in a row?" Yang raised her eyebrow with a smirk. "Somebody is feeling lonely..."

"Hey, that was a one time thing," Jared shot back. "For now, I think?"

"I can hear you two!" Ruby turned back and yelled. "And Yang is looking after Zwei tonight!"

Zwei, their dog. The little black and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi lived with team RWBY ever since last month when Yang and Ruby's dad sent it over. Jared hasn't really gotten acquainted with animals before, unless you'd count Blake.

"What are you doing tonight?" Jared snorted.

"Weiss and I are going to see a movie!" Ruby replied. "Deal with it!"

"Cockblock…" Jared muttered.

"What did you say?" Ruby turned.

"Nothing." Jared shrugged. Yang chuckled and sighed.

"Jared," Blake stopped and nudged him. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Tomorrow," Yang pecked Jared on the cheek. "You can take me somewhere tomorrow. I'm gonna go make sure we have food for Zwei."

Yang went ahead to catch up with Ruby and Weiss.

"So what is it?" Jared asked, slightly annoyed with the interruption.

"At the courtyard." Blake directed. "Let's go."

Jared noticed her gaze shift past him for a moment. Jared turned and saw that she was looking at Shadow, who looked half awake, conversing with Tested as they made their way out of the building. Jared sensed that he wasn't going to like this conversation.

-Blake 3rd person POV-

"So what was so important to talk to me about?" Jared asked Blake as soon as they got to the courtyard.

"I'm worried." Blake answered. She genuinely needed Jared's help on this.

"Worried about what?" Jared asked.

"Shadow."

"Sorry, do you know another person named Shadow?"

"Jared," Blake hissed. "I'm serious."

"Shadow is fine," Jared sighed. "Ever since we beat Shash, he's been pretty chill. If anything, he's better than he was six months ago. He's living a peaceful life learning to become a hunter, his opponents and past aren't disrupting him, and he has us, specifically you. He is fine."

"Haven't you noticed anything odd about him?"

"Umm, his Faunus girlfriend being overly worried about him?"

"Notice that he's tired all the time?"

"Hey," Jared chuckled to himself. "What a man does in his bed all night is his business."

Blake glared at Jared, her catlike eyes giving him the message that she was not in the mood.

"Alright, I'll stop."

"Last night I caught him leaving his room through his window," Blake said. "His night wear was on his bed and his armor was gone."

"Maybe he goes training." Jared shrugged.

"Shadow wouldn't take all of his combat gear for _'training'_ ," Blake scoffed. "You guys don't even carry guns to class due to them being too lethal, and if you do, it's a light weapon like a sidearm that you almost never use."

"Maybe he's-"

"Maybe he's what, Jared?" Blake interrupted him. "Are you seriously telling me that you are not a bit suspicious about any of this?"

"Well," Jared bit his lip. "Shadow doesn't keep all his combat gear in his room. Not really any of us do. Other than Tested, who keeps his DP23 in his locker, we leave most of our lethal weapons at our hideout."

"But why would he go through his window?" Blake pressed on. "I even asked him if he went anywhere at night, and he said he didn't go anywhere. What would he have to hide?"

Blake brought up some pretty good points, and Jared knew it too. She could see his eyes moving up, then to the sides, as if he were analyzing the information.

"Whatever it is," Jared replied. "He doesn't want us to know about it. Typical Shadow." Jared scoffed.

"So are you going to help me, or not?" Blake asked.

"Don't see why I shouldn't." Jared answered. "So what's the play?"

"I was thinking of following him when he leaves his room tonight." Blake suggested. "Now that I'm thinking about it, that is something I could do alone."

"Heh, please," Jared chuckled. "Shadow didn't want to be seen leaving."

"So?" Blake shrugged."What's that supposed to mean."

"I mean you'd lose his trail like that," Jared snapped his fingers. "I don't care if you have natural night vision and enhanced eyesight with your catlike eyes. We are from a regiment in our military called the Shadow Black Hole division. When it comes down to specialties, stealth is our thing. We don't get seen if we don't want to get seen."

"So what do you suggest?" Blake asked.

"I'll go with you." Jared said. "I know how he moves, I know how he thinks. He was practically my mentor during Shadow trooper training."

"And what if _you_ lose his trail?" Blake added.

"Doesn't matter." Jared assured her. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I already know where he keeps going."

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

Bane and the ARCs (minus Red) were approximately fifty five meters from the apparent enemy base in the thick brush. The forest was so thick that they could barely see anything fifteen meters ahead, but the trees parted enough up top to see the two Republic cannons starting to swerve towards them. Bane was guessing they were pretty mad as they had taken down five twelve man patrols on the way here. The group was slowly moving through until Bane motioned them to halt.

"We're being targeted." Bane called out.

"You were right," Ranger nudged him. "They probably do have scanners."

"I'm just hoping Red is out of range." Bane muttered as he activated his commlink. "Red, you ready?"

"Affirmative." Red replied awkwardly, as he was doing his best to hold still and open his mouth as minimally as possible.

"Remember, you are seventeen hundred meters away," Bane said slowly. "That's a mile. Everything comes into factor as a distance like that."

"I'm not a rookie." Red sighed.

"I wanted to keep you as far as I could to avoid the range of their scanners. Are you sure you can make those shots?"

"And for the third time, I am going to say _yes_." Red snapped, sounding annoyed.

In truth, Bane preferred not getting incinerated by an Artillery cannon,and felt he was taking a big risk in trusting Red with two targets at one mile.

"Hey," Ranger patted Bane's shoulder. "Red is the best shot in the whole Army. He never misses, unless he wants to."

"I think those cannons have visual on you." Red warned. "I recommend a green light."

"Alright," Bane shook off the nervousness. "Form up, we are going in hot. Forty five meters, straight ahead, don't stop pushing. Kill anything you see until it stops firing."

"Copy that." The group replied in unison.

"Bane, ten seconds at most until they fire." Red clicked his teeth.

"Move on my mark!" Bane ordered. "Three, two, one," Bane pressed his heel into the dirt. "Go!"

Bane sprang forward into a full charge with the group behind him, weapons leveled. As they ran, Bane looked up, seeing two blue bolts, flying almost side by side, soaring right towards the cannons, specifically at the drivers. Judging by the fact that they were still alive by the time they reached the entrance, Red had hit his targets.

Bane opened up on the unsuspecting guards right away. It was a medium sized door inside of a hill, guarded by roughly sixteen men. It didn't matter. The ARCs bum rushed straight through, not even allowing them a shot.

"Entrance secure!" Ranger called out, fanning his WESTAR everywhere.

"Stand clear!" Viper warned, already moving away from the door he had set a breaching charge on.

Bane stepped back from the doorway, allowing the door to implode before firing down the appearing corridor. His shots met three more guards, then the area around two mounted E-Web cannons inside. Bane leaped out of their range of fire. The ARCs hugged the walls around the doorway, letting a seemly unstoppable volley of bolts go past them.

"Anyone got any bright ideas?" A-64 asked aloud.

"Viper, pop some grenades down the hall," Bane ordered, slinging his rifle and drawing his lightsaber. "I will cover you."

Viper nodded, then cocked the mechanism for the grenade launcher mounted on his WESTAR M-5. Bane ignited the blade, standing in front of the doorway, reaching out to the force. He let the saber guide itself, twirling expertly and dancing around him as he deflected as many shots as he could. Viper stayed true to his word, popping out into a crouch and letting a grenade loose into the E-Webs. Bane charged through the door, taking the opportunity from the stunned hostiles, charging the force into one push, knocking them away. The ARCs followed quickly, taking positions on the sides of the corridor, pushing up, firing at anything that moved.

"Secure the base!" Bane barked, then led the charge.

-Tested 3rd Person POV-

Tested was going over class notes on his HUD. He had finished homework before arriving to work. He stood in his full SBH armor in the corner of the room; the large open dance floor of Junior's club. Tonight was quiet, which was good. More down time meant more study time. Either way, Tested noticed a heavy decrease in security. Junior only had half the usual amount of men here.

Tested had realized he kind of liked the music that played here. Regardless of his more uniform and soldiering nature, he found that he enjoyed music from the heavy metal genre. While most of the music played here was club music and a whole bunch of gimmicky remixes, the DJ had his moments.

Something caught Tested's attention towards the bar. With a set of blinks, he swiped his class notes off the screen and proceeded towards the disturbance. Tested wasn't carrying anything super lethal. His DC-17M locked on his back was the weapon loaded with the mixed dust and tibanna ammunition. He had one spare clip and he didn't bring the extra attachments. He didn't really need it for a job like this. His sidearm was loaded as well, but Tested always left it on the stun setting. Other than that, he carried his dual extendable shock sticks that were collapsed and holstered to the sides of his shin plates. It was funny because Tested was usually the most non lethal guard in Junior's private Army, as most of them carried dust sidearms, rifles, automatic weapons, swords and hatchets. Either way, Tested had the military training and experience to outshine anything these guys had.

Tested finally reached the cause of the disturbance. It was a gang complaining about the drinks. They seemed to be low level, and not really worth a put down, but Tested approached with caution.

"Excuse me sirs," Tested greeted. "What seems to be the problem?"

"None of your business pal!" The lead man said. He was a fit Caucasian male, late twenties, and he wore an undershirt, with a bandana on his head.

Tested was surprised that his armor didn't spook him. He figured they were drunk anyway, as most of the other visitors were backing away, more frightened of Tested rather than the impending fight.

"Actually, this is my business," Tested continued. "So what seems to be the problem?"

"This tender over here is servin' us the wrong drinks." The largest gang member explained. He was a full head taller than Tested, and he was huge. Tested predicted he was on steroids. He had an African American look to him, wearing a similar undershirt to his comrade, except this man was bald, and wore thick gold chains around his neck.

"Well, I'm sure it was an honest mistake." Tested proceeded to try and calm the group.

"One problem with that _ese_ ," The Spanish one interjected with the leather jacket. "We been waiting for hours."

Tested noticed the bartender's right hand under the table, most likely resting his hand on the dust assault rifle.

"Well, you can either get your drink now for free, or walk out," Tested stated. "You are causing a disturbance. I'd prefer the easier way."

 _Wham! Crash!_

Tested reeled over from the attack. He should've seen it coming. He should have predicted the wine bottle as soon as he saw the lead man resting his hand on it. The entire left side on the interior of his helmet just slammed into the side of his head. There wouldn't be a mark there, which is why he was glad he was wearing the helmet. The crowd quickly dispersed as the wine spilled everywhere, already widening the already large semi circle around the bar. Looking down at his armor, he already knew what he was doing as soon as he got back home. It involved some acid, cleaning fluid, and a towel. Tested looked up at the Caucasian, holding what remained of the wine bottle, the glass broken into a stabbing edge.

"Hard way it is then." Tested sighed.

A quick lean to the left helped him avoid the right swing. Tested lunged his right fist forward, catching the man in the gut. He drove his other fist into his ribs and shoved the man away.

The Spanish was the second to attack, throwing a right cross. Tested stepped back from the attack and blocked the second punch. Throwing the fist away to open an opportunity, he launched his right fist forward, catching the Spaniard square in the nose. He reeled back, clutching the area of impact. Tested knew he had broke it.

Now it was time for the big guy. Tested turned to face him. He just stood over Tested, massing over him. Tested considered utilizing his shock sticks, but decided he could do this on his own.

"You just gonna stand there?" The man bellowed. "Or are you gonna do something?"

Tested stepped into a punch to his gut. He caught the fist, pushing it back on Tested. Tested broke the connection with his other hand and stepped back from the oncoming swing. He brought his hands up to block the next punch, but wasn't prepared for the blow, stumbling away. Tested spun into a roundhouse kick, bringing it low and jamming his boot into the back of the man's kneecap. He came down to a kneel, allowing Tested to spin into a roundhouse punch. He didn't go down with only that. Tested followed up with a right cross, but it was the uppercut that knocked him out cold.

Tested already saw the Caucasian man charging at him. He took two steps forward and planted his boot directly into his gut, knocking him down once more.

The flick of a switchblade caught Tested's attention. He spun and deflected the knife away from him. The Spaniard let go of the blade in mid air, only to catch it with his other hand and slash at Tested's abdomen. Tested stepped back and planted a fist into his opponent's chin. He reeled over from the attack. Tested let the Spaniard's counter attack hit him, allowing the knife to strike across his chest. The blade barely scratched the plastoid alloy. Tested grabbed the bladed arm and twisted it in the wrong direction, using his other hand to drive the user into the table. After a satisfying _clink_ , he slammed his fist at the back of the man's head, letting his limp body fall to the floor.

Tested turned to the Caucasian male; the last one standing. He did something different this time. As soon as Tested heard a clicking and charge when the man's hand went behind him, he realized what was coming. The dust pistol leveled with Tested's face as Tested's left hand went up to meet the barrel. As soon as the man pulled the trigger, Tested formed his shield. Dust impacted and exploded a centimeter from Tested's left palm. During the motion, Tested reached with his right hand, grabbing the back of the pistol and yanking it towards him, using the momentum to pull his opponent's face into his elbow. Finishing it off, Tested's free arm reeled back and surged forward, landing a strong left cross just on the jawbone.

Tested looked around, scanning for more threats. He looked over at the crowd that was still watching him.

"Apologies for the disturbance ladies and gentlemen," Tested said. "Please enjoy the rest of the night."

Slowly, everyone began to settle back into the party. No one came by the bar until a duo of Junior's men carried the knocked out trouble makers.

"That could've been taken care of quicker." The voice of Junior came from Tested's right.

Tested turned to face him. He was standing there with his arms crossed, wearing his aviator sunglasses with red lens.

"Sorry sir," Tested apologized. "I was trying to be less lethal."

"People hate it when parties break up or if fights break loose," Junior stated. "Just go for the shock."

"Yes sir."

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow had told Blake he was studying for the night at the library and that he was going to be there late. In truth, he was going hunting again. It had taken him a solid forty minutes, but he had reached the secret hideout for the SBH on Remnant. He snuck through the industrial district into the densely populated commercial district to the building they used as their armory. Shadow strolled over to the door that said, _Renovations in progress_ , making sure nobody was watching him as he entered. The building was empty, but the team had bordered the windows just in case one of them was spotted trying to enter. This hideout was secret for a reason, and it would be horrible to allow their technology fall into the wrong hands.

Shadow made his way into what seemed like it used to be the maintenance closet, and entered. There was a door there, with a keypad. He typed in the correct sequence of numbers, and the door unlocked with a metallic thump. He opened the door to what used to be the building basement, but was now, their base. Shadow walked down the stairs, pulling his hood back and flicking the lights on when he reached the main switch.

The place was a lot neater than it was three months ago when it was first established. There were three desks and a holotable in the center of the room, making up a square setup for the computers, files, and other miscellaneous machines and gadgets for investigative work.

To the far right of the room, there were five glass cases that stored special gear for certain people. Each case had a metal stamp with a name engraved. The names were; Shadow, Jared, GT, TJ, and Tested. On the top shelves, there was a helmet from each of them, with the exception of Tested's case, where most of his gear was gone. Even Shadow's old broken helmet was in his case. Shadow walked over to his case and grabbed the weapon mounted on the second shelf; the DC-17M interchangeable weapons system. Shadow inspected the rifle, then attached it to the magnetic sheet mounted on his backplate. He also grabbed his holsters and attached them to his belt, sliding his DC-17B sidearms in. Then he made his way to a set of weapons lockers to the other side of the room. Shadow typed in the code to a keypad on the wall next to the lockers, and they all slid open. Shadow made his way past the racks of DC-15A rifles, DC-15S carbines, RPS-6 rocket launchers, Z-6 rotary cannons, until he found the ammunition rack. He took five clips for his Deece, then four for his sidearms. With slight hesitation, he took two thermal grenades with him.

Shadow fell into a chair at the main desk with the main computer system. He keyed the system online and the three monitors flashed. Shadow plugged in a flash drive into the USB port and files began to open on the three monitors. Shadow rolled to the equipment desk and started laying his guns out, loading each one of them carefully. He kept the safeties on, for good reason.

After making sure the targeting systems on his HUD and weapons were calibrated to his liking, he rolled back to the computers. His focus was on the map laid out on the center monitor.

 _Where are you all hiding_?

Shadow had gotten a bit of information out of the late Lieutenant Parce the night before. It had forced Shadow to expand his search patterns. For most of the the time he had spent hunting, he had only been finding the survivors of the Vale attack, but from the information he got from Parce, there were a lot more survivors of the Third Systems Army regiment than he thought there were. He also found out that he was wrong to assume that none of them had escaped the final battle on the island. Unfortunately, Shadow had no idea where they were. They could be deep in the forests of Forever Fall, or all the way in Mistral for all he knew. What was worse is that they kept communication with each other, sending encrypted messages of Morse code through the CCT.

 _Pretty damn organized for a bunch of grunts_.

Shadow heard the slightest footstep creak on the metal stairs behind him. His hand fell to his sidearm and leveled in the direction of the sound, the safety clicking off in the progress.

"Friendly, check fire." The familiar voice of Jared blurted out. He was wearing his armor, minus the helmet, his hands raised.

Shadow clicked the safety on the sidearm and slipped it into its holster.

"What are you doing here?" Shadow asked.

" _We_ ," Blake said as she appeared behind Jared. "And I think the better question is what are _you_ doing here?"

"And why are you armed to the teeth?" Jared added.

Shadow didn't answer, moving in front of the monitors, but Jared had been scanning the information on them already.

"You're not bullshitting your way out of this one." Jared stated as he made his way forward. "What aren't you telling us?"

Blake surpassed Jared and went all the way to Shadow. She looked at him rather intensely. She wanted the truth. There was no point in lying his way out of this one.

"I'm finishing the fight." Shadow sighed.

"What fight?" Blake scoffed. "We defeated Shash and his troops three months ago."

"Any survivors of the final battle were captured by Atlesian forces." Jared agreed.

"Not _all_ of them." Shadow corrected. "There were even survivors of the initial Vale attack, all hiding within the wrecked part of the city. I tracked down and took out thirty three pockets of them, and that was only in Vale."

"Okay, so how many more do you think there are?" Jared asked.

"Judging by the information I managed to pull from a group I took down last night, they are scattered across Remnant," Shadow explained. "From the way he spoke, I estimate five hundred to even a thousand."

"And you planned on hunting them down, all on your lonesome."

"Absolutely."

"And when did you plan on telling us, your friends?" Blake asked.

"I didn't." Shadow sighed. "I just…"

"You just what?" Jared scolded. "Wanted a reminder of the good old military days? Spec ops and shit?"

"Jared, you damn well know that's not the reason." Shadow snapped.

"Then enlighten me."

"I didn't want to burden you all." Shadow replied. "Everyone has found some sort of peace here. You guys were pretty settled down. I felt that if I asked for your help on this, I would be dragging you guys into another fight."

"Shadow," Blake placed her hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Shash was not your fault."

"That can be said as much as it could," Shadow sighed. "But it would not change my mind."

"Well," Blake moved on. "Did you think that maybe you could finish this task faster with help?"

Shadow looked up at her.

"Dealings with my past was probably the worst set of events that occurred in the lives of you and your team," He stated. "Are you sure?"

"Honestly Shadow," Jared crossed his arms. "Do we have much better to do?"

"You do have a life here," Shadow pointed out. "Friends, a career, classes-"

"Ah-ah," Jared cut him off. "I said do we have much _better_ to do? PS, classes are really shitty right now."

"Shadow, the next time you come up on something like this, tell your friends first," Blake said. "Because you don't have to do it alone."

Shadow looked over at Jared, who gave him both a wink and a nod.

"And the others?" Shadow asked.

"Well, Shadow," Jared chuckled. "I don't need to really state the obvious on this; _ask_."

-Ranger 3rd Person POV-

"On the ground!" Ranger barked at the unarmed hostiles as he burst through the door into the enemy command center. "On the ground, now!"

Ranger came up to an enemy soldier, the man too frightened to move an inch. Ranger was still repeating his order, and when he did not comply, jammed the butt of his WESTAR M-5 into his forehead.

"I said get on the ground!"

"Hold up there, clone!" A sly voice slithered. "You don't want to do anything stupid."

Ranger turned and leveled his weapon at a man in a white suit. His dress pants, blazer and dress shirt were pure white. The only thing dark he was wearing were his black dress shoes and dark grey dress scarf around his neck. He wore white gloves, and what seemed to be a porcelain white mask with bright red painted lips where his mouth should be, his pure black, silky hair sticking up and waved to the right on top of his head. Ranger couldn't tell exactly, but judging by the tightness of what facial structure he saw and by his voice, he sounded to be mid thirties. Ranger saw what he was holding. It was a Deadman switch on a detonator.

"You know what one hundred litres of liquid tibanna can do when rigged as a bomb?" He stated. "We have twenty times that beneath our feet right now ready to blow us to kingdom come, so I'd best be lowering that weapon."

"You're bluffing." Ranger took a step closer."

"Try me, clone."

"Ranger," Bane called out as he deactivated his lightsaber. "He's not lying."

Ranger slowly lowered his weapon, the others following suit.

"So, the Republic has finally taken notice of me?" The white masked man stated. "I'm flattered."

A hand fell on Ranger's shoulder. Ranger spun immediately in reaction, grabbing and twisting the arm until it snapped. He grabbed his subduer by the neck and pulled him closer, reeling his right hand back. With an open fist, he slammed his hand into the soldier's cheek, pushing his head past its natural turning point. The sounds of bones breaking was not hidden at all. The body fell limp on the ground. Ranger turned back to the man in the white suit, who was glaring at him through his mask.

"Don't touch me." Ranger growled.

The other soldier's faces melted to fear into what had just happened to their comrade in five seconds.

"Did you not hear me the first ti-"

"Out of curiosity," Bane cut off the man. "Do you think you can let go of that button before we kill you?"

"Would you like to test the skill of your men?" The man in the white suit shot back.

"Any other time I would," Bane said without hesitation. "But we're not here for you."

The man in the white suit changed his expression to one of interest.

"Then why exactly are you here?" he asked.

"We are here for something vital to our mission," Bane said slowly. "But you already know, don't you?"

"What are you proposing?"

"A situation that benefits both of us."


	3. Chapter 2

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

"Again."

Shadow concentrated his semblance, feeling a fireball form in his hand. He lashed out, sending the black flaming sphere at a metal target. He hit it dead center. He took a deep breath.

"That shot was weaker than your last one." Ozpin stated.

"It's not easy." Shadow huffed.

Shadow was in the training room with the Headmaster. They had the hall all to themselves, as it was a private lesson. Ozpin took notice of Shadow's apparent "stunt" he pulled off during the attack on the island. His eruption of flames was unprecedented, and the Headmaster wanted to know the full extent of it.

"What are you feeling?" Ozpin asked.

"Tired." Shadow answered honestly.

"And that is why your attack is weak."

"I'm usually stronger when I'm angry."

"Are you sure about that?"

"It hasn't failed me yet."

"Maybe because you haven't tried any other emotion yet." Ozpin pointed out. "What else do you say you can do?"

"I can form weapons," Shadow replied. "Not for long periods though, and not without a lot of effort."

"What emotion do you feel when you try this?"

"None actually," Shadow explained. "I feel more focused, more Zen-like. I have to concentrate into forming it."

"Yet you have had to perform this under stressful combat situations?" Ozpin raised his eyebrow.

"One of the great inheritances of Kaminoans tampering with our genes in cloning," Shadow chuckled. "We were designed to overcome any combat related stress."

"Kaminoans?" Ozpin furrowed his brow.

"Our makers."

"Mhm," Ozpin took the statement uncomfortably. "Have you tried any other emotion?"

"I don't know how one would use any of their other emotions in combat." Shadow shrugged.

"Yes, well this is something to look into."

"Well, you've had me shoot targets the whole hour," Shadow sighed. "What exactly can you do to get me to learn more right now?"

"Absolutely nothing," Ozpin replied. "We'll end it here for today, but I urge you to try to utilize other emotions with your semblance. Hopefully we can learn the full extent of your abilities."

"I'll try." Shadow assured.

"Then you are dismissed. Have a wonderful day."

-GT 3rd Person POV-

"So you guys weren't there on the island assault?" GT asked.

GT sat with team JNPR in the courtyard along with TJ, Tested, Ruby and Weiss. The group had been trying to get to know each other, and/or catch up. GT found this group strange, but he guessed he found team RWBY strange when he first met them. They were all in their normal attire; Jaune wore jeans and a short sleeve hoodie, donning metal armored shoulder plates and a torso plate. He had a belt with pouches and hooks where GT presumed he stored his weapon when he utilized it.

Nora's style was rather exposed, wearing a collared black vest that ends at her waist. The vest had her signature emblem, _a hammer with a lightning bolt_ , on the back. Under the vest were two layers of clothing, colored red and light-blue respectively. She also wore a white sleeveless top that forms a tiny heart shape between her cleavage and collarbone, with a white detached sleeve on each arm and matching fingerless gloves on each hand. She also sported a pink skirt that starts at the waist and ends mid-thigh. She also donned armor that begins in the middle of the shoulder and neck and ends by the waist.

Pyrrha seemed like a gladiator. Her top consisted of two layers. The top layer was a light-brown, strapless top split divided vertically with some bronze patterns. The bottom layer was a low bronze V-neck. Pyrrha wore an elastic, black, A-line miniskirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. She wore a red ankle-length drapery that appeared to be wrapped around her skirt. There was a small circular bronze plate by her right hip opposite two pouches with both connected to a belt. The plate bore her _shield and spear_ emblem. She also sported a large bronze gorget around her neck, and a bronze bracelet on the upper half of her left arm.

His clothing appeared to be influenced by Chinese culture. He wore a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that was red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming went down the right side of his torso and formed a black collar. He wore a black, long-sleeved shirt beneath the suit, and light-tan pants with black shoes.

"No," Pyrrha replied to GT's question. "We didn't participate in the assault of the island."

"We stuck to the city," Jaune added. "Search and rescue was still undermanned and with the fear of the citizens high, Grimm attacks were heavily increased."

"We did pretty much take all the Atlas reinforcements with us." Tested shrugged.

"We even got the chance to see an Alpha Beowulf!" Nora perked. "That was cool."

"By cool, she meant tiresome," Ren sighed. "Chased it down city outskirts until Pyrrha got it."

"That sounds cool," GT shrugged. "You know, Jared, TJ and I brought down two very large warships, effectively saving the remains of the Atlesian air fleet, probably killing at least fourteen hundred crew members, and in addition the possible thousands of military gear and personnel on board, but no biggie."

"Didn't you all come back hurt or something?" Jaune asked. "And didn't Ironwood lose two thirds of his original force?"

"It's the outcome that matters pal," GT shot back. "It's the outcome that matters."

"So what passes for fun with you guys?" Pyrrha asked, changing the subject.

"Sparring," Tested replied. GT turned to Tested with a disgusted look. "I'm joking, I don't live under a rock."

"Had me concerned there for a moment." GT chuckled.

"Board games are cool!" Ruby piped in.

"I think the Arcade is more enjoyable." Nora disagreed.

"Well then maybe you should stop getting us kicked out of there." Ren sighed.

"It's not my fault the games are so easy!" Nora crossed her arms. "Didn't you overwork the shooting range?"

"I didn't break the hammer." Ren pointed out.

"How do you guys have time for this when you have school?" Tested asked.

"You don't have to get 100% on _every_ damn test, Tested." GT knocked on his shoulder.

"Says who?" Weiss cocked her eyebrow. "I'm at the top of all of my classes."

"Is that right?" GT chuckled. "If so, then you better not let Tested catch up."

"Why do they call you _Tested_?" Ruby asked.

"That is an interesting question." Weiss added.

"During basic training, I took everything as a test," Tested explained. "Top of my assigned platoon on every assignment or drill. Even the basic _warm ups_ , I was making sure I was fully ready for the drills that followed. So naturally, my pals called me _Tested_ , as I felt like I was _tested_ on everything."

"That is a lame nickname story." GT sighed.

"It's not like ours was very entertaining either." TJ shrugged.

"So…" Ren came in. "What do you guys want to do? We have about an hour till Glenda's class."

"I got an idea!" Ruby jumped.

"I don't know whether to be disturbed or frightened of what you have in mind." Weiss scoffed.

"It's a good idea!" Ruby shot back.

"Now I'm concerned." GT bit his lip.

"Beats sitting in the grass for an hour." TJ agreed.

"That sounds lovely, Ruby." Pyrrha smiled.

"To our dorm!" Ruby announced. "I'll go set up the game!"

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

Bane had somehow convinced the man in the white mask to let them through. It had something to do with his contact on the other side; a man named Roman Torchwick. Whoever this _Torchwick_ was, he had an idea of what he was in for.

Bane and the ARCs followed the masked man down levels of corridors. It was here, that Bane truly realized how big of an operation was here. Viper, the heavy weapons specialist, had been calling out enemy armnants as they passed by. He had called out at least twenty automated defense turret systems within the halls. This place was as fortified as the interior of the early type Acclamator class assault ship. Bane figured the team could blast their way through this, only if they had unlimited ammunition. Just storming the base had taken almost all of Bane's magazines.

Finally, they reached a large, dome-like cavern, and there were guards everywhere. Other than the guards escorting the ARCs, there were twenty-six more bodies in the room. Ten of them were on elevated platforms on walkways built midway up to the ceiling, four were guarding the entrance, and the others were scattered in pairs among the room, some of them moving crates around or looking over their weapons. Bane recognized the Republic issued DC-15A all too well. He had to know where this, "gang", had recovered so much Republic weaponry. He made a mental note to do so later.

In the center of the cavern stood a podium with a bright crystal that lit up the whole cavern. It floated just above the podium, pulsing ever so slightly. To the left of the crystal was a work station where a group of technicians manned a computer. Bane eyed the gun mounted to the station, recognizing it as a laser drill.

"Ranger," Spade said over the comm channel. "That crystal matches the same photo taken by Commander Shash of the artifact that transported him to the so called world of Remnant."

"Can you confirm?" Ranger asked,

There was a short pause before Spade responded with, "Positive. 100% match."

"This is not a coincidence," A-64 stated. "But that does not change the screw up that Republic Intelligence made by not knowing a group this large had been operating here with Republic, Military grade weaponry, especially one with enough firepower to fight a legion."

"Well done, _RI_ ," Viper said, "You'll be receiving a thoughtful, thorough, and salty complaint from one Alpha Class ARC."

"Your feedback message can wait till later Viper," Ranger changed the topic. "What's the move Bane?"

Bane didn't respond. He kept gazing at the crystal. Something about it felt wrong. It didn't feel like an object. No. He sensed a mind. He reached out with the force, letting it guide him and tell him what it was. He couldn't define the word for it.

 _Alive?_

No, it was more complicated than that. It's like it was an object that could think and feel, and Bane only felt it's pain.

"Bane?" Ranger asked again.

"Go as planned," Bane ended his train of thought. "We may benefit now, and can kill them later."

"Why so silent?" The man in the white mask asked. Bane was about to reply but he cut him off with, "Right, you were not _bred_ to converse."

"Where did you find that crystal?" Bane asked.

"None of your business," The man snarled. "Do you want the transport or not?"

Bane gestured for the man to lead the way. The man in the porcelain mask guided them to one of the platforms next to the crystal, nodding as his technicians as he did so.

"That was my end of the deal," The masked man growled as he stepped back away from the platform. "Keep yours, _clone_ , or you won't have a way back home."

I stopped and turned towards the man, "Do not think to threaten me, whelp. You know not of who you are truly dealing with." Bane spoke harshly.

The man grunted and moved on, Bane did not take that threat lightly. He was not going to fail and end up like the 21st Nova ARCs, or the regiment of clones that were trapped with no way home. These traitors, these deserters, these _heretics_ , would pay the price with their friends, their people, and their lives.

The mounted gun on the computer station fired, concentrating a solid beam at the artifact. Bane felt pain, but not of his own. The artifact screeched like a dying soldier, yet glowed brighter and brighter. Bane almost didn't notice the room go dark around him. After the massive sense of vertigo slammed into the group and washed over, they stood in a room similar to the one they stood in before, except the guards were different. Still holding Republic Weaponry, these looked like soldiers.

They wore black pants and a black hoodie with a vest over it. For moments, he saw that on the back of the vest held a logo or insignia he had not seen before. Bane also noticed that they wore white masks that covered their eyes and had distinctive animal features. Their rifles raised to level at Bane and the ARCs. Bane's hands fell to his rifle and saber. He sensed the Alphas ready to mobilize, safeties clicking off almost simultaneously, each one of them hunched down with weight shifting between each foot, ready to spring for cover. The looming firefight was stopped by a clap.

Bane turned towards the clapping, seeing a man in a white trench coat and a bowler cap, striding towards them.

"Well, well, well," He sighed in either disbelief or anger as he spun his cane around his finger and let the bottom hit the ground. "I'll be damned. More ARCs."

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

-Team TJGT & RWBY Collective POV-

"Teams TJGT and RWBY," Glenda called. "Enter the arena."

Jared led his team down to the Arena. The group was in full armor, aside from their helmets, which Tested was at the moment questioning.

"Would it not be more effective to wear our helmets?" Tested asked once more.

"I know there isn't that much of a difference Tested, but like I said before, we are being more open to everyone around us." Jared explained.

"Would it not be also be smarter to utilize the tactical information on our HUDs to fight better?"

"Tested, the only tactical information we need is our aura level," TJ stated. "Which is portrayed on our scroll or on the giant leaderboard to the center wall."

"That information would be more easy to access on a Heads Up Display, wouldn't it?"

"That," Jared was about to diss, then changed his mind. "Is actually not a bad idea. Can we do that GT?"

"Ask Shadow." GT shrugged.

Ruby led her team down to the Arena. It was odd seeing the SBH compared to team RWBY. The bright and vibrant colors of her team against the dark armored Shadow troopers.

"We are totally going to lose." Blake sighed.

"Really Blake?" Yang scoffed. "Deciding the winner already?"

"Don't you remember the last time you fought them?"

"Individually," Weiss pointed out. "But not as a team."

"Yeah, we got this," Ruby agreed. "Besides, we've been training since the last time."

"What's the play, Ruby?" Yang rolled her shoulders.

"Try to separate them." Ruby explained.

"I think we're ready for this," GT chuckled. "Piece of cake."

"Easy peasy?" Jared added in a mocking tone.

"Easy peasy." GT echoed.

"A walk in the park?" TJ smiled, following Jared with the same tone.

"A walk in the park." GT echoed again.

"Just your warm up?" Tested followed suit.

"You guys are mocking me, aren't you?" GT frowned.

"I don't know," Jared chuckled. "But if we were, I guess you could say it was a _piece of cake_."

"I hate you guys."

"Moving on," TJ shook his head. "What's the plan?"

Jared scanned team RWBY as they got ready; Weiss drawing Myrtenaster, Blake unsheathing Gambol Shroud, Yang deploying and cocking her Ember Cecilia's and Ruby unfolding Crescent Rose. The four stood in ready position.

"Is there a plan?" GT asked.

"Take them head on." Jared explained as the group drew their weapons. Jared's Katanas fell to his sides and the Twins drew their swords in sync. Tested pulled his twin shock sticks, pressing a button on the hilt that allowed them to extend to a full length. "Don't let them surround us. I've got Yang. GT, you got Weiss, and TJ, Blake. Ruby is all yours Tested."

"The little girl?" Tested stiffened.

"Yes the little girl." Jared sighed.

"You want me to attack the little girl?"

"Yes I want you to attack the little girl," Jared repeated. "And she's fifteen. She can take the punishment."

"Let me rephrase," Tested continued. "You want me to go up against the girl with a giant metal Scythe that has a blade sharp enough to cut through solid, full grown trees with ease, and a built in, high calibered, high impact customizable sniper rifle with a recoil that is strong enough to propel her into the air?"

"Yes." Jared said flatly.

"Don't forget she has super speed." GT added.

"Great," Tested rolled his eyes. "Absolutely fantastic."

The countdown started.

 _Three._

 _Two._

 _One._

 _Begin!_

The teams sprang straight at each other. Ruby launched herself first, augmenting her speed with her semblance and using the recoil of firing Crescent Rose behind her. Mid way to center, she arced her body to the right, coming around in a horizontal swing that Jared sprinted straight at, then fell to his knees to slide under.

Jared's Katanas skidded across the ground as he slid under Ruby's attack. He shifted his weight forward, throwing himself back onto his feet and meeting Yang's Ember Cecilias. His swords clashed right off Yang's gauntlet like weapons. Jared turned and sidestepped to get around Yang, his blades soaring into slashes and smashes. Yang blocked every single one then leaped back, firing her Ember Cecilias. Jared spun and sliced the first one in half, then held his breath. Time slowed, the second round stopping just before his face. Jared went around the oncoming round, then straight at Yang, shouldering himself into her with all his weight as he released his breath.

Yang took the hit, but instead of flying back a few meters, she simply used the momentum of the attack as she leaned all the way back, landing on her hands, then flipping herself onto her feet. Her hands came behind her and she fired her weapons, lunging forward.

Jared brought his blades into a dagger form, forcing each blow within Yang's flurry of punches out of danger. Jared spun and slammed his heel into the back of Yang's knee.

Yang dropped to a crouch. As Jared spun once more for another attack, Yang spun herself on one hand, launching herself feet first into Jared's side.

Jared landed flat on his belly, a meter away. Yang jumped high into the air, flipping into an axe kick that Jared avoided. He turned and spun again, but Yang was too low, coming into an uppercut right to Jared's jaw. Jared stumbled back a few steps when another punch connected with his gut. Yang charged again, but this time, Jared was ready, stepping into Yang's attack early and getting his blades close. He gave a hard swing to Yang's torso, her stumbling back from the unexpected attack. Yang came back to counter, but Jared was faster this time, knocking her fists away before she could do anything, then kicked the inside of her leg, widening her stance. Jared threw himself into a jump kick, then held his breath, Yang still in midair starting to fly back from the kick, concentrated his strength into his swords, then smashed Yang as hard as he could. He released his breath. Yang went flying across the arena, flat on her back.

GT was not prepared for Weiss's lighting fast lunge attacks. He was easily struck by the first few attacks, then was forced into a defensive stance for the next group. GT decided he needed to force her back. He started smashing her attacks away, almost catching her off guard for the first bit, but she quickly adapted, guiding his sword out of harm. At one point, GT put his body weight behind a swing, knocking her back. Instead of skidding like normal, a glyph appeared behind her, she turning and stepping off of it as if it were a wall. GT didn't see the knee coming, taking it to the face. GT blindly swung, feeling his sword skid off and meet the arena floor. As soon as his vision was regained, all he saw was the back of Weiss's heel smacking into his jaw.

GT's semblance kicked in, turning up his resistance to damage and pulling him out of his stunned state. His vision cleared as Weiss lunged. He stepped to the right, letting Myrtenaster go past him. Weiss spun around into a kick to counter as GT planted his feet. The blow landed on his gut, but he didn't budge back at all. In fact, he barely felt it, focusing on concentrating his energy into his blade, then smashing Weiss away.

TJ couldn't even track Blake. Her copies being left behind for him to strike, only narrowly locating her just before she struck again. Gambol Shroud was in her right, and the cleaver like sheath in her left, attacking left and right, trying to outwit the Shadow Trooper. At one point, TJ performed a whirlwind attack, fed up with getting ambushed. He stopped, only to find Blake a few meters away, wielding Gambol Shroud in its pistol form, firing at him. TJ crouched down and covered his upper body, feeling the dust rounds impact off his sword or his body. He felt his aura level decrease at a fast rate. Using his semblance of destruction, he focused his energy into a strike, letting an energy wave pass to his opponent. Blake had stopped firing for sure, but when TJ looked up, he barely dodged Gambol Shroud in Kusarigama form, landing on the ground just behind him. His eyes followed the black ribbon that led to a down coming kick that TJ almost couldn't evade. Blake hit the ground hard, cracking the floor. TJ spun and focused his energy into his sword, coming down on an overhead swing to the crouched Blake. Blake looked like she was there for a moment, but he heard a gunshot from Gambol Shroud, followed by her changing color to a fiery red. He realized what had happened too late. He struck the dust copy, the fiery dust erupting in an explosion, sending him flying a few meters from where he stood before.

Ruby struck and hacked away at Tested. Her attacks revolved around spinning slashes and whirlwind smashes, all missing the target. Tested stepped back and back, trying to avoid Ruby's Scythe. He kept looking for an opening, but Ruby was superhumanly fast. At one moment he decided to strike, only getting his shock sticks knocked away from their attack path and getting slammed in the shoulder by the rear of Ruby's blade. Tested stumbled back, pivoting on his heel as quick as he could to regain sight of his opponent. He was met by a two footed kick, square in the chest, then hit from behind by a rolling Crescent Rose. Ruby lunged at him again, grabbing her Scythe out of mid air seamlessly, then spinning into another series of swings. Tested this time decided on something different, activating his semblance and letting his shield form in front of him. Ruby bounced right back off the shield, only coming back for another attack. Tested saw his opening. Just as Ruby's second attack bounced off his shield, he dropped the barrier, stepping into a front kick. Ruby skidded back a little more than a meter. When Tested stepped forward to attack, he found himself swinging at rose petals. She was long gone. Tested spun, seeing Ruby in a red blur, zigzagging straight towards him. Crescent Rose twirled and spun around Ruby as she manipulated it with absolute skill, landing three slashes on Tested. His aura level reached a halfway point, and went down a little more when the flat of Crescent Rose knocked him into a wall of the arena. Tested raised his shields just in time, Ruby's high caliber dust rounds impacting head on. Tested couldn't hold the shield up forever, and he could already feel it weakening with Ruby's constant barrage.

"Jared!" Tested called out to his teammate.

After trading several blows, Jared spun and swept his leg under Yang, sending her back first into the ground. He turned to see who called him. It was Tested, backed up against a wall, shield up with Ruby firing. Jared sighed in annoyance as he kicked down the recovering Yang, then ran to assist the Sergeant.

Yang turned to see Jared fleeing. He was charging towards Ruby. She wouldn't see him coming.

"Blake!" Yang called.

Blake leaped back as TJ put his strength into a downwards stroke, the ground around him partially disintegrating and leaving a huge impact crater. She threw Gambol Shroud in Kusarigama form and got it behind TJ's head. She pulled the line toss, getting the ribbon around his neck. TJ reached for his throat in pain as Blake pulled him forward, spun and jumped into a sidekick, sending him away once more. She turned to see Yang, who was calling her. Then Blake saw the problem. Jared was coming up on Ruby's rear. She sprinted forward and threw Gambol Shroud at Yang, her partner catching and holding tight. Noticing a glyph from Weiss appear under her, she leaped towards Jared, the glyph providing a boost, spun and arced herself in mid air, then tugged on the line as hard as she could, transferring her kinetic energy to Yang, who had put it into her fist that was just about to knock Jared right in the back.

 _WHAM!_

Jared didn't see it coming. One moment he was upright, the next he was skidding flat across the arena on his belly. He cussed to himself for not being aware of his surroundings as he got back up. Expecting another attack, he whirled around to face his attackers. Yang stood where she had landed from her punch, still holding onto Gambol Shroud. She looked at Jared, then pulled Gambol Shroud towards him as hard as she could, sidestepping to reveal an oncoming Blake in mid jump kick. Jared's blades slashed at her, only hitting the empty copy Blake bounced off of to protect herself. Gambol Shroud came to her hands in its katana and cleaver mode as she struck at Jared.

TJ finally got up. He took a glance at the leaderboard to check his aura level. It was getting very close to dropping below the elimination point. He scanned the battleground. GT was still holding off Weiss, despite her increased attempts at using dust. Jared was preoccupied by Blake, engaged in a sword fight, and Yang was going over to assist Ruby, who had Tested pinned behind a shield. TJ concentrated his semblance energy into his sword with the thought, need and will for destruction powering his attack. He swung horizontally, releasing the energy in a wave, that began travelling towards Ruby and Yang.

"Ruby! Watch out!" Was all Ruby was able to hear before an energy wave hit her straight in the chest. The pain was excruciating, lasting all the way through until it dissipated. Keeping her momentum, she leaned back just before she hit the ground, landing on her feet.

GT was taking hard dust hits now. Lances of fire and ice were shooting from Myrtenaster, Weiss handling it expertly. GT put his semblance to work, numbing the pain of the attack as he blindly charged. He wasn't ready for Weiss's sudden lunge, but he was lucky. A shield appeared in front of him for a moment, just long enough to stop Weiss's attack. GT reeled back and smacked Weiss right across the face with the flat of his blade, patting his rear leg as a hand signal. Weiss came back into a lunge that GT avoided. The hand signal worked. TJ was ready, slashing at Weiss's blind side, concentrating his semblance of destruction into his blade. TJ didn't stop there. He twirled once more and slashed, sending another wave of destruction towards the recovering Weiss. The Heiress brought her arms up in a cross, in attempt of blocking the attack, but the result only sent her off her feet and sliding across the floor, followed by a buzzer, signifying her Aura level being too low for her to continue the battle.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out in fear, lunging forward into the air, twirling with her speed.

She covered half the arena before she arced forward and slammed her boots into TJ's chest. The Shadow Trooper went flying back, his aura level dropping below optimum level. A buzzer sounded, calling out his elimination. Ruby drew Crescent Rose and spun into a series of slashes and smashes, twirling her Scythe with absolute skill, driving GT back.

Yang raised her hands to prepare for combat, smirking as she approached Tested. Tested seemed a bit uncomfortable with his opponent out of doubting his skill, but he maintained his composure. He readied his shock sticks and took a defensive stance. Yang wanted the first blow, taking a step forward to fake a punch. Tested turned to block but was met by Yang's other fist connecting to his gut, firing a kinetic dust round from her Ember Cecilias. Her second blow went to his face, the third to his side. Yang stepped forward and slammed her shin into his left side. As her foot came down into another step, she put her fist into it, punching him square in the jaw.

Tested stumbled back, almost too stunned to do anything. Yang was strong already, but that added with her kinetic dust rounds? He felt like he was getting punched with a shotgun arm. He had to fight smarter. When Yang charged once more, Tested raised his shield, Yang not even hitting, but rather walking right into it. Stunned by the apparent wall that was never there, Tested swung, getting a good nick off her cheek, hearing the satisfying static discharge. His next arm went for her gut, then he kicked her back. When Tested stepped into another swing, Yang fired a round right below him, obscuring his vision enough for him to miss his target. Tested's missed attack turned into a backhand that Yang blocked. She moved her hand down to block his other arm and fired around at his side, just grazing him as he sidestepped. Yang ducked under a kick and came into an uppercut, keeping Tested off the ground long enough for her to spin, and with the dust discharge from her firing her Ember Cecilia, slam her elbow into his gut. The Sergeant barely landed on his feet, skidding back. Yang was ready for the shield that came up, just firing a few rounds to make sure. She maintained her barrage as she flipped right over him. As the Sergeant spun to make sure his shield covered his flank, Yang put her energy into a punch, shattering the shield. Tested came forward, swinging left, then right, then downwards left. He spun into a round kick, Yang stepping back from, then leaning into a punch. The shield came up again, only sending the recoil of the blast back at Yang, who skidded back a meter. She fired her weapons behind her as she leaped at him, landing in a two footed kick on the shield, shattering it once more as she kicked off, firing at Tested as she flew back. Tested took every shot to the chest, stunned. As Yang arced back and back flipped into a crouch, she fired her Ember Cecilia's behind her again, putting everything she had into a punch that sent Tested all the way to the end of the arena, his aura level dropping to zero, and a buzzer calling his elimination.

Jared felt he was more than a match for Blake in blade to blade combat, but with his semblance, he could render all, if not most of her attacks useless. Her copies being left behind are known to be copies. Jared had more than enough time with everything slowed down for him to anticipate Blake's attack. She was smart, he gave her that. Blake twirled into a series of slashes once more, then sidestepped away, Jared striking the empty copy left behind. He held his breath and turned, releasing his breath to block Blake's next attack. Blake spun into a kick that Jared ducked under and counterattacked with a swing. Blake blocked the attack but wasn't ready for Jared's kick to her forward leg, throwing her off balance. Jared took the opportunity, slashing at her torso and face. Blake stumbled back and tried to shake off the stunned feeling, but Jared had already spun into a round kick, his heel slamming her right on the side of her jaw.

GT was actually capable of holding off Ruby. In truth, he was rather freaked out about the giant metal Scythe that was dancing around the red hooded user, slashing and spinning at him, but even if she was forcing him back, he was still blocking every swing. Ruby dashed to the right, swinging low to keep GT busy as she followed up with a downwards and horizontal stroke. GT lifted his foot over the low swing but was caught off guard by the downwards stroke, feeling the pain of a strike. His aura and semblance kept him standing as he leaped away from the next attack. Ruby fired Crescent Rose behind her as she sprang at him, the recoil augmenting her speed. Her swing came fast and knocked GT back. GT was about to strike back, but felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned around, he felt the punch combined with the shot of a kinetic dust round, right on the jaw. He didn't even have time to say _oww_ , due to Ruby striking at his lower body, sending his feet up, and his body down back first. GT's semblance kept the vertigo from washing over him, despite Ruby shooting him right in the face with a high caliber dust round. His vision went white and he felt his aura level weakening fast. By the time he came to, he was too late. Yang was already inside, her fists going low and up into his gut. He felt the fast explosions, the first to the center of his stomach, sending him up, the second to his right side, the third to his left ribs, and the fourth to his jaw. Still inches off the ground, Yang's final blow sent him away, his aura level dropping enough for elimination.

Gambol Shroud was now in its kusarigama form, flying around Blake, attached to a ribbon. It wasn't enough. Despite how fast and skillfully Blake wielded it, Jared blocked every attack. Despite this, she was keeping him at a range, and was pissing him off. She could tell by the frown on his face that he wasn't enjoying this at all. At one point, Jared batted the bladed pistol back at Blake. She caught it by the grip, spinning and opening fire. Jared's swords came into an X form, Blake emptying her magazine into the swords. Just before gun clicked empty, Jared teleported, right in front of her, the X shape turning into a double slash. Jared continued through, turning into a tornado of swings, striking Blake multiple times before booting her down in the gut. Blake fell to a crouch, clutching her abdomen from the attacks, gritting her teeth. Her Aura was at the breaking point.

Jared ducked as soon as he heard Ruby's battle cry, letting the Scythe blade pass right over him. He stumbled forward after a kinetic dust round fired by Yang hit him right between the shoulder blades. He was about to hold his breath when he felt Blake grab onto his shin. Gambol Shroud in pistol form leveled with his chin. Jared took the shot like an uppercut, too stunned to do anything about the combined attack of Ruby and Yang; Ruby's Scythe hitting him in the lower abdomen and Yang's fist connecting with his face in a cross line. Jared was tumbling in the air before landing flat on his back. The buzzer rang. Team RWBY had won.

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow had no idea why he had been called to Ozpin's office, alone, and especially during class. His grades were high, he was a skilled fighter, and he hadn't gotten in trouble, _yet_. Was he in trouble?

Thoughts dwelled upon his mind as the elevator ascended to the top floor, only the whirring of the machinery making any noticeable noise. Repairs had been excellent, considering the amount of damage the attack on Vale and Beacon resulted. The time to get to the top floor felt like hours when it had only been minutes.

Finally, the doors parted, and he stepped inside. The Headmaster, Professor Ozpin, sat at his desk, his signature coffee mug in hand. He had seemed to be in an intense talk with the man in white, Atlesian Military Officer attire who Shadow recognized as General Ironwood. Ozpin's gaze fell upon Shadow, in which his free hand went up to the bridge of his nose to push his glasses further up his face.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" Shadow spoke first, taking a deep breath before doing so.

"Yes, have a seat." Ozpin beckoned.

"Nice to see you again, Shadow." The General reached out for a handshake.

Shadow took the offer, then went to sitting as calmly as possible. He wore his black SBH armor, minus the extra pouches and webbing, but still retained the red pauldron and kama. His signature hood was pulled back, obviously for politeness. His Dark Sword was sheathed onto his back as well. He had just gotten ready for combat class when he got the immediate call to the office.

"How have your last three months been at this school?" Ozpin asked.

"It has been fine, thank you." Shadow replied.

"I'm glad to hear so."

Shadow was evaluated and trained to locate whether he had some sort of tell, or some repeated motion or action he would do when something bothered him. Right now, he realized he had been chewing on the interior of his mouth, lightly biting down on his gums in nervousness. He willed himself to cease.

"So what did you need me for?" Shadow continued.

Ozpin leaned back into his chair and turned to the General. Ironwood stood completely straight, hands clasped behind his back. His expression was something of worry.

"Actually, it is I who requested you here." He stated.

The General pulled his scroll from his white coat, placing it on Ozpin's desk. The desk took the information and displayed via a holoprojector. A photo of a familiar crook appeared on the screen.

"Roman Torchwick," Ironwood started. "I believe you two have met?"

"Yes," Shadow replied. "He was working with the Nova-"

"-And the White Fang," Ironwood added. "And according to mission reports, he was present at the siege of the island."

"I'd imagine that an eyewitness report by one of my friends, Tested, could also confirm that."

"It would," Ironwood nodded. "But he is unaccounted for in terms of prisoner transport. All search and rescue teams were unable to find his body or any remains of him. We can only assume he has escaped."

"Some Larties did make it out…" Shadow mumbled.

" _Larties_?" Ironwood asked.

"Nickname for our troop transports," Shadow explained. "LAATs; Low Altitude Assault Transports."

"Yes, some did make it through our blockade," Ironwood said. "And to further prove this, police reports in Atlas and in Vale are reporting gangs are being armed with unknown weaponry, and are causing a lot of damage."

"Let me guess, Republic weaponry?"

"Indeed. Recent terrorist attacks by the White Fang show at least even a few, LAATs, as you call them, assisting in attack."

"Dust weapons are becoming a thing of the past on the streets," Ozpin piped in. "Over the past three months, even Vale crime gangs have been slowly obtaining more and more Republic weaponry, far more that what we initially assumed was possible."

"We do not think that they have been resupplying at the Island, as the Atlesian Military had locked the place down and has set up a battle group there to maintain security," Ironwood paused, then added, "We honor the pact you and your friends made with us. All Republic technology will not be used by us, and so we have kept all of the remains stowed there, and have made no attempts to move them."

"What makes you think that your security has not been penetrated?" Shadow asked.

"The fact that I have doubled security three times to no avail." Ironwood answered.

"No offense, General," Shadow tried to give him the explanation the nice way. "But from my experience, nothing is impenetrable."

"Regardless," Ozpin intervened. "The threat of these weapons falling into the wrong hands is unacceptable, and due to your experience with the technology, I believe you are best suited for General Ironwood's needs."

"The Atlesian Military can handle engagements," The General continued. "But what I need, and hope you can help me with, is locating the enemy weapon caches inside Vale and Atlas, and finding out how these weapons are being obtained." The General paused and straightened himself, before asking, "Will you assist me in this endeavor?"

"Yes sir." Shadow responded, almost soldier-like. Shadow knew there had to be another reason he was being asked to do this. The facts that Ozpin stated were correct. Dimensions, specifications and capabilities of Republic vehicles would help in locating these caches, and stating weapon specifications would help Atlesian forces repel the White Fang's terrorist attacks, but he couldn't help but feel as if there was another reason.

Ozpin noticed Shadow's thoughts, probably through Shadow's barely noticeable changes in expression, and said, "General, may I have a word with Shadow?"

The General looked towards Ozpin in curiosity, then looked back at Shadow. Ozpin had his teacher-look expression on his face that Ironwood caught as he looked back at the Headmaster. With this, he nodded and calmly strode out of the room and into the elevator. Ozpin waited until the whirring noise of the descending elevator faded before speaking.

"Now, Shadow," Ozpin started. "I suppose you are wondering if there was another reason you were picked for this job?"

"Would I be wrong to think so?" Shadow asked.

"No, you wouldn't." Ozpin stated firmly.

"What would the reason be, if I may ask?"

"Your qualifications." Ozpin answered.

"What makes you think I qualify?"

Ozpin took a full sip of his coffee, finishing the beverage. He set the mug on the desk and leaned forward, elbows on and hands intertwined, then spoke.

"Because I know how you have been spending your nights."

Shadow froze. He felt like he had just been thrown in the middle of a combat zone with no cover. That's what it felt like to have a secret uncovered. Suddenly, the shifting and clicking of the gears above, below, and even in front of him emerged from what his mind processed as ambient noise and became audible. It was the only noise he could hear as he felt his ears go crimson red.

"I've known for quite a while now," Ozpin grinned, noticing the Shadow Trooper starting to blush. "And I am surprised in your success. Funny enough, Vale police are calling it a gang war."

"How did you find out?" Shadow took a deep breath and asked.

"Shadow, remember one thing very carefully," Ozpin said with warning. "Not much happens in Vale or this school without my knowledge."

Shadow took the _"Not much"_ part of the sentence with a satisfying grin. His stealth and veiled warfare with Shash and his Nova fell under that category for more or less.

"Judging your capabilities, I can assume your friends are also capable of providing support." Ozpin added.

"I can vouch for that," Shadow confirmed. "I've been on enough missions with them to say so."

"Then it is settled," Ozpin stated. "I would ask to be discreet about this, but you appear to do so naturally."

"Is there anything else you need, Professor?" Shadow asked.

"No, that will be all," Ozpin shook his head. "You may return to class."

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

"Atlas was this world's greatest military power if I remember my reading," Ranger stated. "What exactly are we doing in enemy territory?"

"Well, as a matter of fact," Roman Torchwick remarked. "We are not within the kingdom walls. We may be on their continent, but we are a long way away from the main city."

Negotiations had been taking place in an office, presumably the criminal's. Bane, Ranger, A-64 and Viper had stayed for the speaking while the other ARCs were given a tour of the place. During the talk, the other ARCs had been giving Intel on the base via commlink to Ranger and the ARCs in the office. Bane didn't exactly like this _Roman_ character. He seemed to either be wasting their time, or was a waste of their time. Although, Bane was surprised to see how well he kept his "formal criminal" attitude. His sarcastic and blunt tone did not appear to showcase any fear.

"And this is the White Fang, I presume." Ranger motioned to the animal human hybrid soldiers.

"Yes, the Faunus are White Fang."

"What exactly are your armnants?" Viper asked. "I don't remember Commander Shash reporting that you had our weapons."

"Well, when your Army fell, you didn't exactly clean up the pile of weapons you left behind. We've even managed to recover a few of your tanks and gunships."

"So the regiment we sent over through the portal did perish?" Ranger frowned.

"Most, if not all of the clones died." Roman replied.

"And the fate of Commander Shash himself?" Bane pressed.

"Let's just say that there aren't any remains to recover from each of them." Roman said in disappointment, as if he was talking about a brand new washing machine that broke down only after a few days.

Bane clenched his fists at the confirmation. It was a stab to the chest to finally figure out that some of his longtime friends in the Special Operations Brigade were gone at the hands of the heretics. What made him boil was the tone that the criminal used in mentioning his fallen comrades. It took all the restraint he had to resist punching Roman right across the face; hard enough to break his neck.

"You said most were killed," A-64 added. "What of the remains?"

"Some escaped during the battle, but the majority of whom are left surrendered and were taken prisoner by the Atlesian Military."

"Where are they being kept?"

"Beats me."

"Do you have any location on the ones who escaped?"

"Should I have cared to find out?"

"You have to know something." Ranger snorted.

"Does it look like I have all the answers, shoulder pads?" Roman shot back, remarking Ranger's extra pauldron plating. "And don't get me started with you bucket head," Roman turned to 64. "What the hell kinda name is _A-64_?"

"It's A for _Alpha_ ," 64 stated clearly. "Alpha 64."

"Let's talk about our targets," Ranger brushed on. "The Covert Shadow Black Hole troopers that went rogue."

"Yes, the men in black armor," Torchwick rolled his eyes. "Why not watch the news or read a story about them. They were awarded for their bravery on the so called _island assault_."

"Shadow and his team…" Bane muttered.

" _The Black Knights_ ," Roman stated, his hands spreading in the air as if he was forming a banner. "That's what the media is calling them."

"Well that's fucking cheesy," Viper joked. "What would they call us? _The White Death_? If we ever become famous, they better fucking call us _Redemption Squad_."

"Where do we find them?" Bane jumped in.

"They are on the same continent as they have always been," Roman said. " _Vale_."

"How do we get there?"

"Whoa there _antenna-boy_ ," Roman commented on Bane's range finder. "Might want to slow down. There is no way you get into Vale or even out of Atlas without a fight. Try a dropship? You have to smash through an Atlesian blockade. Try sneaking aboard an airship? You're all _clones_. They literally have a picture of _all_ of you at every dock and port there is."

"We can take them." Viper cracked his knuckles.

"My men and I are skilled beyond your comprehension." Ranger added. "Fighting our way out is not a problem."

"Yes, you are as you call yourselves, _ARC troopers_? What's the ARC stand for?"

"Advanced Recon Commando." A-64 stated with pride.

"Well, let me tell you something," Roman sneered. "Shash was an ARC trooper, and a Commander. He led a team of ARC troopers, and they failed against the Atlesian Military. What rank are you?"

"Captain," Ranger replied without hesitation. "Bane doesn't have a rank, and the rest of my boys are Lieutenants."

"See the problem here?" Roman chuckled. "Commander Shash and the 21st Nova ARC Squad couldn't do it. So why should you be the exception?"

"Well, you see, Mr. Torchwick," Ranger explained. "Those were regular ARC Troopers in a unit called the Nova Squad. We are Alpha Class ARC Troopers, and that makes us better than them. As a matter of fact, it makes us the best soldiers and warriors in our galaxy. So how good do you think that makes us?"

Roman frowned at Ranger's smart remark. That must have hurt his ego.

"I don't care who you are," Roman said slowly. "You will die if you choose to go without haste. You don't have the resources, the assets and the firepower. Guess who does."

Nobody needed to answer that. It was no question that the ARCs could not do this on their own. It was no question that they'd make it to Vale. The question was that if they would be in body bags when they arrived.

"So what do you propose?" Ranger asked.

"You help me out, and I help you." Roman stated. "Simple as that."

"Deal." Bane answered. "Just point us where to shoot."

"Excellent." Roman fiddled with his cane as he left the room. "I'll grab my to-do list."

"You sure this is the best idea?" Viper asked. "I don't trust that guy."

"Shash did." 64 pointed out.

"And now he's dead."

"Shash is not gone because he trusted Roman," Ranger piped in. "He, and the Third Systems Army Regiment could not handle the Atlesian Military. That is why he is dead."

"No." Bane said flatly. The other ARCs turned to face him. "Shash is dead because of the _Dar'manda_ ," The mandalorian title was translated to English in his next statement. " _The Black Knights_ , and each one of them will pay. That's a promise."

-Atomos Squad Collective POV-

"Hold."

The squad froze as the fist came up. Six black figures became shadows in the streets of Coruscant. The streets were torn up and destroyed with the wreckage of cars, homes, buildings and debris littering the once teeming city corner. The only visible light was the fires still going, the dim moonlight, and the bright explosions from the naval battle occurring less than a click north of their position, high in orbit.

"Got one." The point man whispered over comms, regardless of his helmet exterior speakers shut off.

"You sure?" One of the shadows asked.

"I'm sure."

"That Nuna two blocks back was an embarrassment, Cat."

"It was a weapon click," The point man replied. "Turn up your audio."

"All I hear is the booms coming from our flyboys."

"Cat, Cipher, quit fooling around you two," The leader, General Mack bellowed. "Atomos Squad, staggered formation. Low profile."

The squad fell to their bellies in slow motion, careful not to make a sound. Slowly, the black armored troopers crawled their way forward, spread out wide, avoiding light. If one were looking hard enough, they would barely see the Shadow Troopers, only being given the sight of a street that had little, shallow waves and ripples. Atomos Squad moved with exaggerated slowness, careful to avoid making noise. The team froze when they heard a noise again. They all recognized the clicking and rustling of tending to, and shouldering a rifle.

"That was close." Cat said, barely moving his lips. "Think it's an ambush?"

"Could be a sniper." Cipher guessed.

"20 credits that it's an E9S heavy gunner." Cat said, then looked back at Cipher with a grin behind his helmet. "Take that bet?"

"Squad, switch visor modes," Mack ordered, keeping the team focused. "Everyone on night vision. Scope the area."

Each of the Shadow Trooper's low light, black and white visor filter switched to a lime green. They scanned everywhere around them, being careful not to make any sound or fast movement.

"Anyone got anything?" General Mack asked.

"Negative, sir." Faman replied, a meter to Mack's four o'clock.

"Nothing on my scope." Slayer piped in.

"Shit," Cat cursed, Mack immediately paused to listen to the Captain. "At the top," He called. "One o'clock, all the way up."

Mack's eyes darted towards the direction and crept up a five story apartment.

"Sniper." Mack announced, noticing the E5S sniper rifle in the insurrectionist hands.

"Yep…" Cat sighed in defeat.

"Looks like you owe me 20 credits." Cipher chuckled.

The enemy sniper was on his belly, not seeming to notice the group as he calibrated the scope on his E5S sniper rifle; a deadly weapon that could have taken out more than half the squad before reloading. The group easily crawled under the sniper's line of fire, holding position at the base of the building. Cat and Slayer positioned themselves just within firing angle of the insurrectionist, keeping their DC-17Ms trained on him. Mack stood alongside Cipher and Faman near the entrance, waiting for Reker to come out. Mack glanced at the thermal detonators set on the base of the building and was relieved when Reker came out.

"Clear," He stated with a hint of enjoyment as he planted another thermal on the door. "That'll wake him up."

"Squad, move out." Mack ordered.

The group hugged the buildings following, being sure to stay out of sight of the sniper. They didn't even make a sound.

"How did that idiot not see us?" Cat allowed himself a laugh.

"He's blind." Cipher shrugged.

"No," Mack stated. "We're just that good."


	4. Chapter 3

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

"So why'd you call us here?"

GT was the first person to ask that question when team TJGT entered Shadow's dorm. It was a bit early in the morning and classes were going to begin soon. Neither one of them really wanted to be up so early.

"You do realize the amount of beauty sleep required to maintain such a handsome complexion such as mine, right?" Jared joked.

"We're clones, Jared." TJ sighed.

"I'm probably still the better looking one."

"Thirty minutes till class starts." Tested announced, urging the meeting to get somewhere.

"Alright," Shadow took a deep breath before explaining. "As you may or may not know, some of the clone troopers escape the final battle against Shash and have scattered themselves among what I originally thought had only been Vale. For the past few months, I had been trying to locate and terminate all of them. Ozpin knows about this, which is why he and General Ironwood have asked for help in this area."

Shadow pulled a holo display from his desk and laid it on his bed.

"I was wrong," He continued. "This problem extends throughout the four Kingdom's."

The holo display began to project images of news stories and all the information Ironwood had given him.

"Over the past few months, and even more recently in the past weeks, Atlesian Military forces have had to deal with more and more attacks by the White Fang and have even been requested to deal with street violence."

"Last I checked, martial law was not in effect." Jared raised an eyebrow.

"Streets have begun to flood with Republic Military grade weaponry, each gang arming themselves to fight the other."

"All weapons from the island assault were locked down," TJ stated. "The pact we made with Atlas was that no one would have access to these weapons but us."

"The General assures me that they have not made any attempt to move anything from the island and that they have raised security many times already," Shadow shrugged. "But these weapons are hitting the streets somehow."

"Yeah, forget the White Fang for now," GT breathed. "The DC-15A can penetrate all forms of body armor that we know of already. How many times have you seen standard troopers collapse entire caves or tunnels or even bridges with those?"

"Vale is going to become a hard place to live in." TJ added. "This is weaponry that can level buildings."

"You think survivors have been selling out their gear?" Tested asked.

"Doubtful," Jared shook his head as he scanned the information. "This is happening on a global scale. There is no way Republic troops would sell out that much gear when they would want it for survival."

"Let's not forget the White Fang is still involved." GT piped in.

"Roman Torchwick is still at large and one very resourceful and cunning individual," TJ added. "Is Ironwood sure that no one has made it past his defences?"

"He says that it is locked down essentially to the max," Shadow replied. "He wants us to find out for sure though."

"Okay, so why aren't the girls here?" Jared asked, looking around.

"I wanted to keep the circle a bit tight this time around."

"Why?"

"We dragged them into death and misery before," Shadow sighed. "I'd rather not do so once more."

"Not to say that we should drag them into this," TJ stated, "But they were helpful last time."

"We could at least tell them." Jared added.

"Honestly, the operations we would be conducting are rather sensitive, so it would make sense to keep this close to the chest," Tested spoke. "But regardless, this is a large task for only five of us."

"What exactly do you know about sensitive operations, Tested?" Jared scoffed at Tested, chuckling as he did so.

"I was almost promoted to ARC trooper," Tested said firmly. "Twice."

"You mean those recruited ARCs?" Jared laughed. "Those guys are barely special at all. Besides, the keyword in that statement is _almost_."

"We should probably head over to class right now." TJ ushered, checking his scroll.

"Good idea," Jared nodded. "Shadow, we are asking the girls whether you like it or not, and will have a meeting after class."

Shadow took a long stare into Jared's eyes before taking a deep breath, and saying, "Fine. After class."

-Red 3rd Person POV-

Red woke with his hands to his sidearms. After scanning the area, he keyed off his wake up alarm. _Two hours_. Two hours of nap time. Two hours with no contact with his team. He tapped a button on his advanced commlink to establish a connection. The large grey pad on his left forearm was far more advanced than any commlink used by any other unit in the GAR. Only the Alpha Class ARCs had the access to such gear. Perks of being the top dogs of the Army. Red made sure the link was secure and not interceptable by anyone else before clicking the microphone on.

"Alpha 48 to Alpha 87," He spoke carefully. "Come in, Ranger."

"Alpha 87 receiving," Ranger replied. He was obviously pissed. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I decided to take a walk that forced me into radio silence," Red explained. "Apologies for not alerting you in advance, sir."

" _Where_ exactly are you?" Ranger asked, annoyed with his disappearance.

"Enroute to Atlas, sir. I felt it would be wise to gather Intel on our enemy."

Red was sitting aboard an Atlesian Airship in the detention level. It was the easiest place to hide. The high ceiling and arcing supports had gaps that were perfect for him to set up his hammock, and the light was more concentrated on the ground level, providing him some darkness above. He peered down from his hammock as a door slid open and two Atlesian soldiers strode inside. There weapons were strapped to their backs and they relieved two guards of their positions, replacing them. Red didn't like the gear these soldiers wore. From what Intel was provided by Shash, their armor would barely stop even projectiles. Their helmets were open at the mouths and didn't appear to have much purpose other than protecting the wearer's head and top half of their face. Although, their rifles and sidearms fired a source of ammunition that was not known to them. They also carried extendable swords. The good part was they were humans; standard, civilian trained humans. Humans that are not only soldiers at heart. Humans that are not perfect. Humans that made mistakes. That, made them easy to kill.

"We won't be able to track your position until you hunker down," Ranger said, "Keep a low profile."

"Understood," Red assured the Captain. "Status on the rest of the group before I go dark again?"

"Bane, Ripper and I are still at home base going over equipment and planning," Ranger began. "Viper is all cannoned up so I sent him on a hike to the nearest village to HQ. Roman wanted it blasted away for being a big pain in the ass. Don't ask me why."

"And Spade?" Red asked about his most well known comrade.

"Spade took a ship yesterday and went to a nearby relay station. We don't have access to tap into this world's communication without entering their Cross Continental Transmit System, so the relay station should be enough." Ranger paused before adding, "I sent A-64 to look for you."

"It's fine," Red chuckled. "I don't mind company."

"Ripper and I are going to head over to the battle site where Commander Shash's regiment fell," Ranger stated. "As soon as Bane regroups with Spade after he's done, They'll be looking for you in Atlas."

"Roger that," Red flinched as one of the Atlesian soldiers coughed down below. "I'll make contact as soon as I'm set."

"Acknowledged," Ranger accepted. "Alpha 87 out."

Red looked down at the Atlesian soldier who had startled him. He was annoyed by the unprecedented event. As much as he wanted to kill them right now, this was a very echoey room, and he didn't have silencers. He figured he could also latch a cable up top and fast rope down before the two guards knew there was a large, white mass of armor carrying a vibroblade splitting their throats. Only problem was that it was messy, and he had just learned that the guards had shifts that didn't appear to be very long. Red would have to sit in his hammock until he was behind enemy lines.

Still, this did not in anyway ease his mind. He decided to reach in front of him for his DC-15X sniper rifle that he had taped to the metal ceiling just two feet from his chest. After removing the tape carefully without making a noise, he carefully handled the weapon, moving in slow motion to avoid brushing of his armor plates, and brought it to his chest, cradling the sniper like a baby. It practically was his baby anyway. It would be several hours before he would move from this exact position.

-Atomos Squad Collective POV-

"Fire." Mack whispered.

Two hostiles on the roof of the enemy base entrance fell to the ground, in front of the door guards, one by one. The guards took a moment to register what had happened before scrambling for cover. A blue bolt hit one of them in the leg, and another to his head when he tended to his wound. Mack took aim at the last one, who was out of Cat's line of fire in the process of calling for help on his commlink. Mack's cross hairs fell upon his target and he squeezed the trigger. An automatic three rounds, all rounds tearing through the insurrectionist spine and skull. Mack waved Faman and Reker forward, Cipher, Slayer and Mack moving cautiously and strafing the zone in contrast to Faman and Reker sprinting for the door. Reker began to set a breaching charge while Faman was set up, back to the wall, crouched and ready to breah.

"Doorway is clear." Cat's voice came over the SBH commlink channel. "You're gonna lose me in there."

"Switch vantage points," Mack ordered. "Squad, commence door breach."

"Charge is set and ready to detonate," Reker stated as he tossed the detonator to his CO. "All yours boss."

Mack caught the detonator and made sure his squad was and Slayer filed into the sides of the door as Reker moved towards Mack. Mack flicked off the safety and hit the button, standing a good distance away.

"Fire in the hole." Faman warned as he tossed in a concussion grenade behind him.

There was a sound of confusion and disorientation inside the doorway. The squad had already breached, calling out eliminated hostiles and clearing rooms. Mack and Reker followed through, only to enter a brief firefight with three more insurrectionists. The base wasn't big. It was an office building about two stories high, reinforced with heavy duty armor plating. The interior was not worked up very well, and could have been fortified much better. It wasn't really a base though. It was a forward listening post to the legitimate insurrectionist stronghold in this sector of the planet. A few more brief firefights broke out before reaching the command center, but that is where the team had the problem.

"Squad, hold." Mack ordered as he stuck to the left side of the doorway. The squad followed suit, letting red lasers fly through. Faman rushed past, spraying as he rushed to the other side of the doorway.

"Too well entrenched." Faman sighed.

"Bang out?" Cipher asked, holding a concussion grenade in hand.

"Negative," Mack shook his head. "Let's save the ordinance." The squad was not going to get a resupply of ammunition and supplies for the rest of the mission, and Mack wanted to make every shot count. "Cat, you in position?"

Cat had just gotten on a rooftop across from the command center window. He sighted down the holographic scope of his DC-17M in its sniper mode.

"Affirmative." He replied. It was a perfect line of fire; elevated position and backs to him.

"Light 'em up."

"Copy that." Cat acknowledged with a smile.

Cat took a deep breath and moved his cross hair over the first target. He squeezed the trigger and the shot ran straight and true, hitting the first man in the back of the head. He moved onto the next target and the next before the insurrectionists realized he was firing. One of them turned and returned fire, his heavy E9S spraying through the window. Cat exhaled and stepped back when a shot whizzed past his helmet. He took another breath and stepped forward, not shooting down his attacker, but another insurrectionist soldier with his back to him.

"Clear to breach." Cat said.

"Go!" Mack barked.

Faman was the first one in, spraying right down the room, rushing straight into the fray. Out of the eight hostiles left, two more fell. Mack entered charging behind the soldier, shooting down another, then slamming the butt of his rifle into another's gut. A vibroblade ejected from his knuckle plate as he jammed his fist into the down insurrectionist throat. By the time Mack looked around, Cipher was already managing the computers while Slayer, Faman, and Reker were finishing off the rest of them, gunning them down quickly and efficiently.

"Clear!" Faman called out.

"Good shooting, Cat," Mack remarked over comms.

"I do my best." Cat replied in appreciation.

"Watch out for enemy reinforcements." Mack turned to check on Cipher while the rest of the group began dragging the bodies to one side of the room. "What do we have?" Mack asked.

"Exactly what we need." Cipher replied.

"Show me."

Cipher pulled up a map of what used to be one of Coruscant's residential districts. Mack's eyes darted around the map as Cipher began to explain.

"More forward outposts and guard positions throughout," Cipher said. "The main stronghold in dead center. Orbital probe shots were accurate. They're using the civilians as shields against orbital bombardment and our Y-Wings."

"Any location on those guard posts?" Mack asked.

"General areas, yes," Cipher replied. "But the only way to figure out is by getting shot at, or going door to door."

"We don't have the time for that." Mack sighed.

Atomos Squad had been deployed eight days ago, crawling into enemy lines. This sector of the planet was found to be used as a staging ground for more insurrectionist soldiers, arms and ammunition, resulting in several defeats in the Republic offensive recently. The constant resupplying could lead to an Insurrectionist offensive, forcing the Republic to lose the ground it has gained, something that cannot happen. As a result, General Mack took his own personal SBH unit for the mission; jam radio signals, place a Beacon on the stronghold, and soften the battlefield for the 501st to be deployed as swiftly as possible. Mack knew that a military deployment would put the civilians at risk, but if the 501st could get deployed before the hostiles knew what was happening, casualties will be brought down to a minimum.

"Check your ammo and grab anything you'll need," Mack ordered. "We're going in."

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow entered team RWBY's dorm, where he found everyone else waiting for him. The girls sat or stood around awkwardly while he found the SBH surprisingly in line. All stood in armor, helmets tucked on their sides.

"Guys, don't be like Tested from three months ago." Shadow sighed.

The group slowly let their posture fall and dispersed. Tested remained in his general area though, arms clasped behind his back as he set his helmet on a desk.

"Just checking your reaction," Jared winked. "Well, except for Tested."

"Really, Tested?" Shadow shook his head.

"I figured it was a mission." Tested shrugged.

"What mission?" a familiar voice asked.

Shadow turned to see team JNPR coming into the dorm.

"You weren't invited." Shadow stated.

"Actually," Ruby interrupted, "I thought that whatever we were going to do might be good to do with JNPR. You know, kinda have more of an introduction between our friends."

"You guys weren't planning on going on world saving missions without us, were you?" Nora asked with one of the perkiest voices Shadow has ever heard. "Because that would be rude." Nora poked Shadow in the chestplate, hard enough to nearly force him a step back.

"Well, I guess not anymore." Shadow clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes at Ruby. The fifteen year old girl merely held her hands out with palms facing him, shrugging as she did so.

"So what exactly are you all fussing about?" Weiss asked.

"The outcome of the island assault on Shash three months ago," Shadow started. He began to explain, being sure to mention General Ironwood and the White Fang. "Weapons of this scale should not be out for others to use, especially if they are mixed with dust."

"Any of Shash's work being carried on?" Jared asked.

"For now, no," Shadow reassured. "But that isn't stopping the fact that our weaponry is beyond the firepower of this world."

"Funny how the weekend coincides with this." TJ raised an eyebrow.

"That is how long we have to get leads," Shadow stated. "Unless any of you wish to miss a class and make up for it with more assignments, we have to work fast."

"What is the plan?" Jared asked.

"GT, TJ and Tested, I want you on a flight to Atlas before the sun sets," Shadow said. "Weiss, because of your connections there, I want you with them too."

"We come in a pair!" Ruby gleamed as she put her arm around Weiss. Weiss awkwardly moved her arm away from her shoulder.

"Right… well, Jaune and Pyrrha can go with you."

"Wait, why us?" Jaune asked.

"Nora doesn't exactly seem like the type for covert ops."

"Well, Ren is kind of a ninja."

"I don't think Nora would like to be separated from him though-"

"What?!" Nora blushed. "Noooo, it's fine!" Nobody else may have noticed the girl's cheeks go pink, but Shadow saw it obviously, same with the other SBH.

"Moving on," Shadow pressed forward. "Jared, I want you to head to the prison complex where Ironwood is keeping the prisoners from the Island assault. Perhaps they might know something we don't."

"Count me in as well." Yang smiled.

"I figured." Shadow sighed with a chuckle. "Everyone else remains in Vale, see if we can work anything from here."

"Sounds like a plan." Jaune stood.

"Atlas team, I suggest you get packing." Shadow said.

"We bringing weapons?" Tested asked.

"Minimal supply." Shadow responded carefully. "Don't expect or try to get into a fight over there."

"How do you plan on sneaking weapons on board past security?" Weiss sneered.

"You clearly still underestimate us." Jared shook his head. "Let's just say we've been doing this a long time.

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

Bane landed his dropship about half a kilometer from the relay station. He had two White Fang soldiers with him. Bane had seen lots of species, both awkward and ugly in nature and looks. A human-animal hybrid did not surprise him. During the ride, he figured they were in their late teens. _Kids. Then again, I'm fourteen._

That wasn't Bane's only problem. They were soldiers alright, but he saw no impressive training, no impressive skill. He was told that Faunus were naturally more agile and had better eyesight than most humans, but Bane figured he could kill them before they lift finger. In fact, a regular clone trooper could probably take both of them on. Despite this, at least they knew some of the terrain; even though Bane could've navigated it on his own, but Roman Torchwick insisted on adding additional support.

During this trek, Bane was glad for one thing; It was a _winter_ climate. His white armor blended in much easier with the bald, dark, half frozen trees. Bane looked up at the thin branches, looking like dark copper wires reaching for the sky in their sickly shapes. It made him feel safer, that there would be nothing hiding up there. No ambush party or hidden sniper. All he had to do was keep his head on a swivel.

Movement up ahead froze him in his tracks. Bane immediately held up a clenched fist with his left hand, signalling to stop. The crunching of the snow behind him didn't stop. Bane swore that he would have killed the Faunus who kept walking forward had that not been a way to reveal his location. He instead, he grabbed the disobedient Faunus by the throat and covered his mouth, keeping his eyes on the movement in the trees. After waiting for the White Fang soldier to stop struggling, Bane signaled them to crouch down, sliding his rangefinder into place. He zoomed in on the forest, seeing a creature he was unfamiliar with.

"Movement," Bane whispered. "One hundred fifty meters, thirty degrees right of our current heading."

"Beowulf." Said one of the soldiers. Bane glanced at him, seeing that he had his binoculars out. "They don't travel alone."

"Are they dangerous?" Bane asked.

"They're a species of Grimm," The other soldier explained. "They will kill anything that isn't one of them."

"Then we take it out." Bane stated as he drew his rifle.

"You should be more worried about his friends," The first soldier advised. "Beowolves travel in packs."

The soldier was right. He could sense the Grimm around him. _No. Hell._ Not around him. The whole damn forest was teeming with Grimm. They're presence of hate, destruction, and darkness was easy to sense, resembling that of a user of the Dark Side of the force. The creature acted exactly like the presence it bore within; It was savage and dangerous. It mixture of being a wolf and a man was actually quite disturbing. The head of the wolf; the top portion being a skull or bone with red markings and designs carved in, had red, fiery eyes that were as bright as the sun. With that all placed on a black fur body of a man, the creature was menacing. He had read over the files that the Nova Squad had compiled on the Grimm, so he knew the type of enemies he would be dealing with.

"We take it out now," Bane stated, flicking the power setting on his modified DC-15A to full charge. "I'd rather not worry about it later."

The 15 A's holographic sight lined up on his HUD and rangefinder, leaving the sight of a dot on target. After only spending a full second to aim, he squeezed the trigger. The shot rang through the silent forest, and the blue bolt sped through the trees until it finally hit its target. There was a small spark from the impact point as the shot went straight through the Beowulf's head, hitting and splitting the bark of a tree behind it. The creature's head jerked as if its neck had been snapped, then fell limp. An interesting thing happened to the Grimm afterwards. Black smoke started rising from it, the creature's body slowly disappearing within the steam. By the time Bane reached the corpse, it was nowhere to be found. He still felt the darkness through the forest around him. Bane had not been afraid of many things in his life, but what he sensed inclined him to press on and finish the mission.

The rest of the trek was relatively quiet, but finally they reached the relay station. Bane once again signaled the team to stop. Something already didn't seem right. He scanned the area around, looking for danger.

"Fucking hell…" One of the Faunus breathed.

"Are you sure your friend is still here?" The other one asked. "It doesn't look like there were any survivors."

The area was littered with bodies. Bane recognized the uniforms of the bodies as Atlesian Military soldiers, however how incomprehensible the corpses were. Blood stained the stained the snow and gave the area a red hue. There were a few boot prints, but the majority of the area was covered with footprints of a larger creature; most likely Grimm. A battle had taken place, between the Grimm and the soldiers, but judging by the colour of the blood, it appeared that the tracks of some of the larger creatures were fresh. He also noted that some of the soldiers that were closer to the entrance were killed by either blaster bolts, or projectile weapons. That immediately screamed _Spade_ in his mind as Bane remembered the ARC trooper's FC-1 flechette launcher.

"He's here." Bane assured and motioned the team forward.

As the group entered the clearing and edged closer to the building, Bane noticed the trees had some scorch marks; something a Deece would do; and that meant that Spade had been here. Atlesian Military soldiers did not have laser projectiles that were hand held. He also noticed a few bodies had blaster wounds. Although, their approach to the station building with the large satellite was dead silent, the group only hearing the snow crunch beneath their boots. The final bodies that Bane saw outside were two final Atlesian soldiers, slumped on both sides of the door. One had a blaster mark with a hole through his helmet, and the other had his hands over his stomach, his hands and armor stained a dark maroon red.

"If it wasn't the soldiers that got to your friend, then it may have been the Grimm." A White Fang soldier speculated.

"Don't be surprised when you are wrong." Bane scoffed.

Instead of reaching for the control panel, he waved his hand across. The force obeyed his command, and the two-meter-wide door slid open. There was only one thing Bane saw other than darkness, and it was the barrel. It didn't matter what barrel it was. What mattered was that there was a gun in his face. The split second response was his hand from the bottom, hitting the bottom of the barrel upwards. The Atlesian rifle discharged, Bane hearing the shot ping off the ceiling. As Bane brought his rifle up, the dark figure yanked it from his grasp. Bane's right arm reflexively went to block a right cross to his face while his left reached for its sidearm. Bane spun and sidekicked the figure away as hard as he could, reaching for his other sidearm mid motion. He heard a hard clunk of armor and gear as hit the ground as he regained his footing and leveled his DC-17Bs. At the same time, he also heard two weapons charge. In the second he almost squeezed the triggers, he heard, "Oh, it's you."

Bane kept his weapons leveled as his vision focused on the figure on the ground. The two weapons it was holding angled up and away from him, as if the figure was surrendering. Then Bane figured out who it was. The phase I clone armor with a thick pauldron and blue markings of a Lieutenant gave it away, along with the T-split visor that he knew too well. Alpha 43; Spade, was lying on the ground, holding two Atlesian Military rifles. Bane took his fingers off the triggers and slid his weapons back into their holsters. He held a hand out, helping the ARC trooper back onto his feet.

"You shouldn't have tried to sneak up on me."

"You missed your check-in." Bane stated.

"Well I'm glad to see your alive and well too, sir." Spade hissed.

"Atlas issue?" Bane scoffed at the rifles in Spade's hands. "Really?"

"Beggars can't be choosers," Spade replied. "I was dead empty on ammo. I think I also figured out what Grimm are."

Bane further inspected Spade, seeing that every ammunition pouch; even the spare ones clipped to his chest and thighs, that Spade had was empty. His armor was tattered, chipped and dented, and there was a plate removed on his right arm, just above his elbow, sporting a bandage around it. Bane noticed that the bandage was stained red, and that there was also some more red trickles and stains on his shins and thighs. The once white, clean, polished, pristine armor was now splattered with mud, sprayed with scorch marks, and stained with blood. A closer look around the room revealed spent cartridges everywhere. Flechette casings, tibanna ammunition clips, and Atlesian rifle magazines littered the entrance. Spade must have put up one hell of a fight to survive.

"I can see that," Bane acknowledged. "What happened?"

"When I got here, Grimm were already attacking Atlas soldiers guarding this station," Spade started. "I simply finished the job and, _rewarded_ , the Grimm for their help. Then their buddies weren't very happy about it."

"Did you at least get the link set in?" Bane sighed.

"Affirmative."

"Then why didn't you evac?"

"I tried," Spade shook his head. "Fought back to my ship, but got slammed out of the sky by the flying ones. _Nevermores_ , I think. I crashed about two clicks West of here."

 _That explains the scorch marks on his armor._

"Then I doubled back to this location with a ton of Grimm on my ass."

"It's been two days, Spade," Bane sighed. "You didn't call for backup?"

"They thought my commlink was a chew toy," Spade said as he raised his left forearm, revealing the advanced commlink that had been torn and shattered. "They also broke my leg, so walking was out of the question."

" _Ai-ya,_ " Bane shook his head. "That's expensive equipment, and your leg looks fine. You're standing aren't you?"

Then Bane realized Spade had been leaning more on his right leg.

"First of all, _I_ am also _expensive_ equipment," Spade chuckled. "Second, I don't know if you have noticed, but Alpha ARCs are a bit too stubborn to die. You would never believe the kill streak I've been on."

"What was it?"

"By my count," Spade mulled over. "Seven hundred eighty two. Maybe more, maybe less."

"That is a load of _osik_."

"I did tell you that you'd never believe me," Spade chuckled as he slung his Atlesian Military rifle. "Give me your rifle." he motioned at the White Fang soldier carrying a DC-15A.

The soldier handed it, slightly uncomfortable with having to now pick up a less advanced Atlesian rifle. Bane saw the irritation in his face as Spade simply flicked on the safety and killed the charge, leaning on the stock and using the gun as a crutch for his left leg, barrel facing down.

"Well, shall we get going?" Spade said.

"The link, is it set up?" Bane asked.

"Yep," Spade replied as he limped past Bane. "But it won't hold. Apparently Grimm really like to destroy things made by humans, so they'll probably end up destroying the station at one point."

"Well, good thing Red and 64 are almost based in Atlas." Bane shrugged as he picked up his rifle.

"By the way," Spade asked as soon as they reached the treeline. "Do you have any pain killers? I used up all of mine, and it started wearing off an hour ago."

-Mack 3rd Person POV-

 _Go go go!_

Mack thought of saying the words, but the way the squad moved suggested he had telepathically told them to do so anyway. Mack, Slayer and Reker sprinted quietly through a clearing that separated civilian apartments and the Insurrectionist stronghold walls. The district itself from a bird's eye view looked like a cell, with the stronghold itself being the nucleus. It's four thirty five foot walls housed the base that was their target. The trio rushed quickly to avoid the two moving spotlights on top of the towers. To Mack's surprise, they were run by Battle Droids. Regular B1s managed the lights with a humanoid and Weequay on each station.

 _So Intel was wrong. They ARE using droids._

It made sense. Just because the insurrectionists managed to bounce back after the remnants of the Confederacy of Independent Systems fell to disarray, didn't mean that they weren't outnumbered by the still massive Clone Army.

The plan was simple. Cat's team; Cipher and Faman goes for the relay satellite to the south of the complex and shuts it down and jam communications for the 501st to move in while Mack's team plants a homing beacon in the center of the base. As far as Mack was concerned, Cat had the easier job. The relay station was another building off from the main command center was was easy to access and defend if necessary, but the center of the base; the dead center point, was in the open, nearly in front of the entrance to the main building. Worst part of all was that they had to pass through gleaming spotlights to reach it, along with pairs of Insurrectionist patrol units.

Mack's unit held position at the main frame of the gate. He peered inside and noticed the small security checkpoint set up with two Rodians. They were armed with E9 rifles, slung across their sides. The problem was getting past them without setting alarm.

"Ready, Reker?" Mack asked.

"Three seconds to set up."

"Slayer, cover six."

"Copy that." Slayer replied.

Mack peered in slowly, making sure he didn't grab the attention of the checkpoint men as he scanned the patrols. One thing that caught his eye and actually gave him some worry were the three rows of twelve Super Battle Droids; juggernauts on the battlefield. They were deactivated for now, but that many heavy contacts was hard to deal with already. If there were more, Mack wondered if they would even be able to escape. He had to worry about that later. _Stick to the plan_. Mack spoke via squad commlink, his voice full of that of a stone cold leader.

"Cat, is your team in position?" he asked.

"Affirmative," Cat replied. "Holding at south entrance, ready to breach."

"Go on signal. Report once you have secured your target."

"Yes sir."

Mack tapped Reker's shoulder and pumped his fist, gesturing to the array of SBDs. Reker peered around the corner, locking his vision on Mack's suggested viewpoint, then nodded. Mack took one last look at his Deece and looked back at Slayer, his DC-17M already configured into his sniper mode. He pulled the long sitting detonator from his belt, handed to him by Reker. Mack flicked the safety off and made sure the detonator was operational. _Time to wake up,_ he thought, allowing himself a glance at the direction he came as he thumbed the button.

Somewhere, further off to the edge of Insurrectionist territory, the base of a five story building just erupted in a fireball, collapsing the rest of the structure; the same building that the hostile sniper they had encountered was perched upon.

As soon as the satisfying light and echoing boom was noticed, he swung around the corner and opened fire at the fairly open security station. Mack fired two shots into the first Rodian's head and the other three into the last one's chest. The shots melted through the glass and hit their targets straight and true.

"Atomos Squad, breach!" He yelled over the comms. "Go go go!"

Mack led the charge with Reker and Slayer behind him, his DC-17M falling onto hostile targets. He heard the ion discharge from Slayer as he sniped the wall guards behind them. A bang behind him, followed by a sound of a fast moving object through the air revealed the grenade fired from Reker's anti armor attachment. The grenade soared down into the array of Super Battle Droids. Mack did not maintain his focus to find out how many the grenade destroyed, as they began running through a completely lit area of the complex. Slayer had been shooting out the spotlights on the fly, but quite frankly, they weren't being stealthy this time.

"Heads down!" Mack called out as red lasers started flying at them. He lept right to avoid the shots and hoped none of them tagged his comrades, returning the favour to the shooter with two in the chest.

"We got spiders on our six!" Slayer cried, Mack hearing Slayer let loose two anti armor grenades.

 _Spiders, damn it_. Spider droids were known for their firepower and wide angle of fire. They didn't move fast on their four stubby legs, but he had seen them take out an AT-TE walker. They were excellent snipers as well.

"Guns to the front!" Mack barked, seeing their hold out point. "Combat distance, twenty meters and closing!"

A fraction of a second after hearing Slayer and Reker morph their weapons into their assault modes, the trio opened up on their target area. It was a small command center surrounded by crates, appearing to be the station to report to for managing day to day duties. The best part was that it was practically dead center of the stronghold. The sustained and well placed fire of the group put down the five insurrectionist soldiers manning the station.

"Defensive positions!" Mack ordered as he vaulted over a work station. "Slayer, cover fire! Reker, get that gun online!"

"Sir yes sir!" The Shadow Troopers replied in unison.

Reker hooked his DC-17M to his belt and drew two halves of the weapon Mack ordered him to set up; the T-21 light repeater. The weapon packed the punch and fire rate of a Z-6 rotary blaster cannon, but was a lot easier to carry. While Mack covered the area, firing at hostile targets moving on their front, Slayer covered the six. Finally, he began hearing the repeating fire of the T-21.

"Slayer, switch!" Mack yelled.

Slayer moved to Mack's spot and started spraying. Mack checked on Reker before beginning his task. Reker had set the weapon on a crate with a bipod, and began laying down heavy volleys of blaster fire.

"Super battle droids joining the party!" Reker called out, his voice being shaken by the recoil of the light repeater. "The spider droids aren't helping as well!"

"Lots of wet targets coming on my end!" Slayer added. "They are really upset!"

"Hold them for a bit longer." Mack said.

He knew that they were heavily outnumbered. There were probably about thirty hostile targets engaging them right now, and that number would slowly rise the longer the stayed there. They had to complete their mission. Mack pulled a device from his pack, about a foot in diameter. He placed the circular device on the ground in front of him and tapped one of the various buttons. Four clamps that looked like legs emerged from each side and locked onto the ground. The device started flashing a yellow light rapidly. It was set. The beacon was set. Now he just had to hope Cat was successful.

-Cat 3rd Person POV-

Cat took out the spotlights on the tower first, then switching to the insurrectionist soldiers. Cipher easily took out the B1 battle droids to finish the job. As soon as Mack called in the breach, Faman entered the gate. The south entrance was not as fortified and appeared to be more used for incoming cargo. There was a checkpoint, but with one humanoid fast asleep and a Weequay dosing off. Neither of them knew that they had been double tapped to the chest. Faman signaled that it was all clear.

Cat, Cipher and Faman regrouped before moving on. There was a lot of lighting on this side, but they didn't see any patrols; however, they could obviously hear the battle going on at the front of the stronghold. Mack had them busy.

"I hear heavy hostile cannon fire," Faman remarked. "The General certainly has their attention. No wonder there are no patrols going."

"Faman, see anything that can get us out of here?" Cat asked.

"Dropships sir," He answered. "Obviously they used to be some of ours."

"Good," Cat nodded then signaled forward. "Let's get to that communications station and jam them."

Despite this side of the base being clear, Cat and his group hugged the wall, sticking to the shadows. It didn't feel right to move about in the gleaming light. They were shadow troopers for a reason. Finally they saw the communications center. It didn't seem like much. It was a small bunker like building with a satellite dish on the top. No guards outside. _Sloppy_.

"Breach the door." Cat ordered, Cipher and Faman falling into the positions.

Faman and Cat took a spot on the left side of the door, Faman crouching and facing the opposite direction. Cat double checked his Deece, making sure it was fully loaded while Cipher set the breaching charge.

"Clear!" he yelled as he shuffled over the the right of the door frame.

The squad angled themselves from the door as the explosion happened. Cat felt the rumble beneath his boots and prepared to charge.

"Fire in the hole!" Faman yelled, tossing a grenade behind him, into the room.

The second explosion included the screams of several men, and he thought he had heard women as well. It didn't matter. The group was breaching, moving to the corners of the room, already shooting down targets. There was no attempt of them to shoot back; none of them armed anyway. By the end of the shooting, twelve bodies laid inside the room. Four of them taken out by the grenade, and the rest shot down from their workstations.

"Clear." Faman nodded in approval.

"Faman, bodies," Cat ordered. "Cipher, get to work. Get me a link to General Skywalker's battalion as well."

"We really need to move the bodies?" Faman winced.

"I don't think Cipher would appreciate stepping over them to do his job."

"Fine."

"Sir, link set up to 501," Cipher called out. "Communications are almost out of commission and I'm getting a signal from the beacon."

Cat keyed his microphone to the 501st battalion.

"Atomos Squad to General Skywalker," He said. "Hostile communications jammed. Begin your attack and tell _Resolute_ bring the rain!"

-Mack 3rd Person POV-

Mack ducked under the volleys of red lances coming at him. His night vision was becoming unreliable as the constant blaster fire kept making the area too bright. He popped up from behind his work station to fire upon four super battle droids. A small squad of Insurrectionist soldiers were mixed in, using the super droids as cover. Mack let his DC-17M splash the oncoming hostile group. One super battle droid fell, taking at least six rounds to the upper chest before doing so. Another almost did, but only stumbled back from Mack's shots, then returned fire.

"Too many!" Slayer blurted out.

"Slayer, my side!" Mack called out as he slapped a fresh powerpack into his Deece.

The two popped up together this time, spraying down the oncoming row. Two more SBDs fell, along with three soldiers. Mack allowed a chuckle to himself when he saw the last super battle droid club an injured soldier in the back of the head to get it out of its way. There was a soft crack as the impact was made, followed by a his limp body falling to the ground. The super battle droid walked over him, its feet crushing bone as he stepped on the body, then continued to fire upon Mack and Slayer. The two took cover, reloading their weapons.

 _Wets and droids really don't mix._

The next array of fire delivered by Mack and Slayer knocked down the approaching line on their side.

"A little help over here!" Reker yelled.

Mack turned to check on Reker, who was blasting away on the T-21, firing in three rounds bursts. He took out three Super battle droids and two soldiers in seconds, spraying into the group. His problem was the Spider Droids though. Crawling forward on their four legs, their long nose cannon erected from a semi dome-like body. They had gotten dangerously close, but close enough for Reker to penetrate their armor. The first downed spider droid took five shots before collapsing. There were still three more. At this range, their nose guns were knocking heavy crates back. Mack flinched every time the sound of metal scraping on concrete was heard. Mack ducked down, switching to his anti armor attachment and aiming the grenade as well as he could. He was lucky; they were just within optimum range.

With a thump, the grenade sailed into one, resulting in a flare of white, red, and smoke. He closed his blast shield and thumbed another grenade into place, but the second Spider droid was targeting him. Mack loosened his legs and let himself hit the concrete when a bright red laser passed a centimeter from his visor. Even with his helmet on, he felt the heat warm his face. He ambled himself up into a crouched position and got ready to fire again. His attempt to peek over was futile, as a shot or two went either above him, or hit the edge of the crate closest to his head. The shot was basically right in front of his face, and at this range, the bright and sparky impact blinded him for a moment, forcing him to take cover.

"I'm pinned!" Mack gritted his teeth. "Can anyone-"

Mack didn't get to finish his statement as he heard a scream. Mack figured the spider droid stopped targeting him because he saw Reker spin on his heel, off balance, and tumble to the ground on his side. Smoke coming from his arm told the story.

"Man down!" Slayer cried.

Mack was about to dive over to him, but shots started pinging off his cover once more.

"Slayer, I can't get to him!" Mack stated.

"Moving!" Slayer called out as he rushed to Reker.

The pinging against Mack's cover stopped, and he dove towards Reker's position. He focus on his downed squadmate just yet. Mack quickly crawled over to the T-21 that laid on a bipod and hefted the weapon. He flicked the settings to full charge and fully automatic, his sights finding the Spider droid. A shot whizzed past his neck, and Mack felt a burn, but didn't compromise his composure, squeezing the trigger and demolishing his target. Mack looked around. _No more targets_.

"I'm fine," Mack heard Reker say.

Mack turned to check on Reker. He was sitting upright now, helmet off and armor removed around his right arm. The black body suit was peeled back to reveal a smoking and crispy hole in his arm, surrounded by purple coloured flesh.

"There could be some nerve damage." Slayer said.

"I'm fit for a fight right now." Reker scoffed as he replaced his armor.

"I hope so," Mack sighed as he saw the door to the main command center open, pouring out his least favourite droids. "We've got destroyers."

"Hop on General!" A voice came in the commlink.

Mack turned to see a dropship, just a meter off the ground rushing straight for them with Cipher in the pilot seat.

BOOM!

All of a sudden, the ground started blowing up. Explosions started happening everywhere around them. Mack knew what was happening; the _Resolute_ was opening fire from orbit.

"In in in!" Cat was screaming over the comms, Mack barely hearing his voice over the constant booms.

With the smoke and debris starting to fill the air, Mack was barely able to find the dropship. Cat was still screaming for the squad to get on board, but Mack made sure Reker was secure before yelling for lift off. Finally, the dropship exited the dust clouds that used to be the Insurrectionist stronghold. The Resolute was doing their job of orbital bombardment, careful to avoid the residential area. It's turbo laser fire focused on the area where Mack had set up the beacon. The stronghold was no longer visible anymore, either pummeled to the ground or shrouded by ash. Mack looked below into the city, seeing strobes of blue and red in the darkness below. He smiled as he realized that there were a lot more blue than red, and how far they were into the city. The 501st had caught them by surprise of course. The day was won.

-A-64 3rd Person POV-

One thing that A-64 already loved about this city was the utter white. It made him somewhat blend into the atmosphere with his plastoid armor, other than the blue markings of his Lieutenant rank if course. Still, a bulky armored ARC trooper would stand out in a place of perfection, slow, and grace. Citizens walked on and on, not seeming to notice A-64 halfway in the shadows. He was lightly armed anyway, carrying a DC-15S attached to his hip. He melted into an alleyway and had a look up. The tall, cream coloured structures were horrid in his eyes, and only reminded him of Kamino and the Kaminoans. Jango didn't seem to like them as well, and considering all Alpha Class ARCs were trained by the famous bounty hunter, A-64 was not that different.

A white armored figure caught A-64's eye as it passed the alley. Several things came to his mind when he saw it. _Clone trooper. Republic forces. Friendly._

A-64 peeked around the corner, only to be disappointed. What he saw was the exact opposite of what he thought. _Droids._

He had read about them in the briefing. The Atlesian Knight 200s; better known as AK-200s, were Atlas's main infantry. Being such an advanced kingdom, they preferred to keep as many men off the battlefield as possible, a tactical mistake that 64 saw from the very start.

 _Droids are designed not to make mistakes, and when they do, they are rubbish at adaption. Humans, or wets, make mistakes, but we adapt, and we adapt fast._

Still, A-64 couldn't help but notice the android as a mixture of his friends and foes. It's white armor and black visor, although not a T-slit, was much like a Clone trooper, but its nature and its motions reminded him of a B1 battle droid. He had a feeling they would spot him easier than the civilians, so he kept his distance.

As 64 continued a search, a beeping came from his commlink. He keyed in the commands to verify the link was secure, then opened it.

"Alpha 64 here, go for secure," He said.

"Copy, Alpha 48 calling." Red came over the commlink.

"What is it?"

"May have found our rabbit hole," Red replied.

"Location?"

"Apartments in sector one-one-gamma,"

"But?" 64 noticed Red's tone.

"-But it's nearby a regular Atlesian patrol route, by the looks of it. Anything on your end?"

"Rundown for sale house in the lower income area. Secluded enough to be a safe house. I also may have seen a small warehouse near the manufacturing district. It seems heavily damaged and is marked for knockdown. It's also nearby a section of the city walls that had just been fixed up recently."

"Sounds cozy."

"Both seem to have low levels of Atlesian patrols."

"Even more reassuring."

"Has X-21 arrived yet?" A-64 asked carefully.

"He just met up with Alpha 43 and is on the way to HQ," Red explained. "He'll be heading over here with Roman as soon as Spade is treated."

" _Treated?_ " 64 asked. "What happened?"

"Apparently it's a long story, but all Bane told me is that Spade did a ton of ass whooping, but didn't come back out in the best shape."

"Is he going to be fine?"

"I've been with Spade through a lot of campaigns," Red assured. "He's a tough nut to break."

"I'll take it that we are down a man though," 64 sighed. "What is Bane doing with Torchwick?"

"Shash tied up a lot of deals prior to the last attacks on Vale, but Bane is hoping to recover some of the assets with Torchwick."

"ARC-1237 does good work, last I checked," 64 mulled it over. "He doesn't leave that many tracks. How does 21 plan to run at this?"

"21 said not to worry about it," Red replied. "He says he is _persuasive_ ,whatever that means."

"Ah, heh," A-64 chuckled to himself. "He's probably going to use the force. That _Jedi_ voodoo."

"He can do that?"

"According to Ranger, and according to the files, apparently so," A-64 stated. "Personally, I think that the voodoo shit is garbage compared to hours with someone up in a low lit room, using nothing but a dull blade."

" _Dull_ , blade?" Red asked.

"Well, it's more Ripper's style."

"What do you prefer?"

"I prefer a blaster, starting from the toes and working your way up to the heart." A-64 said, satisfied.

"I'm more of a _shoot to kill_ sort of guy." Red scoffed.

"Alright, enough chit chat," A-64 crouched down behind a garbage bin as an Atlesian Knight passed by the alley, inspecting the area. "One more circle around. Check in two hours from now, then we select an RV point."

"Copy that," Red acknowledged. "Alpha 48, out."

The line went dead, but 64 didn't move, not until he heard the whirring machinery and the metallic footsteps of the Android fade away. No matter where he went, it was still droids who were killing his brothers. His comrades. He was going to enjoy this operation. Most of all, he was going to enjoy tearing apart every last Droid in the Atlesian Military.

 **A/N: Hey guys, Frog and Tested here. We never got to formly welcome you to the 2** **nd** **installment in the Black Knights saga. Reviews and comments are already apperiated. We would like to thank you for your continued support and we will catch you later.**

 **-Shadow and Tested out**


	5. Chapter 4

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Last night had been hectic. Shadow had been helping the Atlas team pack weapons for their trip. Luckily, with Weiss's family being a strong connection for a cover story and getting a transport, getting them shipped there was easy. It was deciding how much to pack and how to conceal weapons that took a long time. Shadow figured that because they were Huntsmen and Huntresses in training, their primary weapons would be fine. The difference was the DC-17M interchangeable weapons systems, Tested's DP23, and the phalanx of grenades, thermal detonators, and dust infused tibanna ammunition they sought to bring. GT, TJ, and Tested had enough ammunition for a war zone, and the claim was to be a civilian trip. But the group didn't waste any time and got on the airship to Atlas before sunset. They should have arrived early this Saturday morning.

Jared and Yang had also gone as well, leaving around 0700. Jared took his Deece and swords with him of course, but he didn't bring much ammunition. Shadow only remembered Jared packing four clips, a grenade, and a vibroblade. He really didn't need it, but Shadow decided that it would be wise to go prepared in case of a certain event.

That left Shadow going through inventory for the hour before meeting up with the others. Shadow knew he could trust Blake, but he didn't know how he felt about Ren and Nora. Nora was exceptionally strong, and even Yang, one of the more physically stronger individuals he has known, has admitted to Nora being superior. _I guess it takes strength to wield that hammer_. Ren was rather quiet, and seemed more principled and had the sense that he was a _ninja_? _Yes, a ninja._ He seemed to be a very skilled warrior, but he didn't appear to rank the best out of everyone else. Shadow wondered how he would do in combat.

Shadow looked through the glass cases that housed each of the SBH's personal gear. He made sure his kama was secured to his belt and attached his sidearm holsters. He straightened his crimson pauldron and loaded two ammunition clips for his sidearms into the pouch attached to it. After making sure his hood was attached, he grabbed his DC-17M, quickly inspecting it, then loading it with a fresh magazine. He turned the stun setting on and made sure the safety was activated. Then he secured it to the back of his belt. Shadow only grabbed four extra magazines and two thermal detonators before deciding he was ready. With his Dark Sword sheathed on his back, he felt ready for anything. Now it was time to begin.

There were three tasks to complete, and each one could compose a lead onto the arms shipments coming into the streets. Shadow looked over his files and thought through the plan in his head. It seemed right, but something didn't feel right to Shadow. He felt like something bad was going to happen. He didn't know why. All he knew, is that something is coming. Something is in motion. Something dangerous.

-GT 3rd Person POV-

This was not GT's first time leading a team. He had done so many time before, and has also led his own teams in the SBH division prior to being reassigned back to Shadow once more. It was his first time in Atlas though. Everything reverted to basic black ops training though. No doubt TJ was doing the same thing in the cab at the rear of the three taxi convoy. They scanned the area as they passed through the gleaming white city. Weiss said that she had a place for them to settle without receiving too much attention, but it was good to know every detail of the route there as well.

Jaune, who was sitting in the back seats with Pyrrha, wasn't exactly making it easy for him to focus. The boy had thrown up on the airship ride, causing the commotion and attention they were trying to avoid. As soon as they had travelled two blocks, Jaune had bent over and hurled again, this time on the floor mats in the back. The eerie, grimy, tangy, and gooey scent lingered throughout the vehicle. Then the moron started moaning after resting his chin on the frame of the open window, trying to get some fresh air. Even Pyrrha had her fingers pinching her nose with her window rolled down.

Finally, the vehicle pulled to a stop. GT paid the beyond irritated driver double the original fee for new floor mats. He expected even a driver from Atlas would be more formal, but it seemed this guy was close to flipping him the bird. He didn't even help unpack the baggage.

"So this is the place?" GT asked Weiss as soon as she reached him.

"Yes," Weiss replied. "No one will bother to look here anyway."

"I don't know about that." Tested said in a disturbed tone.

The building was a warehouse, or more descriptively, a Schnee Dust Company warehouse. The warehouse was just a shade off the white and had the Schnee family logo on the dead center of the main doors. Not exactly the inconspicuous hiding hole GT was looking for.

"I'd prefer to make the building neon," TJ said sarcastically. "A bright green neon."

"I'm just glad to be out of a vehicle." Jaune's voice cracked, as he was on one knee, resting his forehead on his luggage.

"This is a Schnee Dust Company warehouse," Tested stated. "Wouldn't your family's company regularly be transporting the contents in and out?"

"This particular warehouse has just been filled to maximum storage for dust," Weiss explained. "They shouldn't attend to it for another week."

" _Max capacity_ ," GT echoed. "Is that enough room for us?"

"Of course," Weiss assured. "The office should be large enough for you to do… whatever you usually do."

"Sleep as well?" TJ added.

"Unfortunately." Weiss grumbled.

Weiss led the group inside through the smaller door. The interior was big, yet GT felt claustrophobic. Aisles upon aisles of Dust crates were stacked in neat and orderly fashion. He only found two meter intervals between each column; very poor defensive and offensive capabilities. While they didn't plan on having to defend this place, GT had been on several black ops missions where hideouts have been compromised. Something did catch his eye though. The windows that were high on the walls in small rectangular fashions acted as skylights, but they were a decent level compared to the height of the stacks of crates. _Perfect lookout points, but also possible eye-lines into the warehouse._ The main office was a level above the ground, accessible by a metal staircase. When they reached the base, GT halted the group to issue out commands.

"TJ, start placing cameras on strategic areas," GT said. "Try and get one on every aisle. Ruby, help him out and do what he says."

"Copy that." TJ replied as he opened up his duffle bag.

"Cameras?" Ruby asked. "Did you bring any? You only packed tape in there?"

"Strip cams," TJ explained. "They are almost completely flat, and hard to notice. They also stick like tape."

"I'll get the network online and get a layout of the area from Weiss, just in case you miss anything," GT added, then turned to the others. "Let's get the weapons and gear unloaded and set up shop, Tested. Weiss, you gotta get me a layout of the building and surrounding area. Jaune and Pyrrha, set up sleeping bags and any other miscellaneous items."

"I think I'm going to go clean up first," The green faced Jaune hobbled away. "Where is the bathroom?"

"Below the office," Weiss replied. "Right behind you."

"Got it." Jaune said very unenthusiastically as he turned around.

"I'm going to go help him out first." Pyrrha piped in as she followed.

"Alright," GT cleared his throat. "You all know your tasks. I want us operational in one hour. With just over thirty six hours on our mission clock, let's get to work as soon as possible."

"One question," Weiss interrupted. "You never did tell me how you got your gear past customs."

"Foam and styrofoam on the interior," GT replied with pride. "Cased with lead. Hide the cases in hidden bag compartments, and you aren't finding it that easily."

"Not if they did open baggage checks." Weiss pointed out.

"Yes, but they never did, did they?" GT smiled.

Weiss grumbled and crossed her arms.

"Checkmate, Ice Queen," GT chuckled. "Alright. Let's move out people!"

-Jared 3rd Person POV-

Jared expected a more rough and run down place, but he wasn't surprised to see a white fortress. The prison had been set up into the side of a mountain, the lush green forest looking as if it were swallowing it. The clearing was easy to spot though, as it was cut perfectly. Jared swore that they used rulers and protractors to make the square clearing precise. The dropship landed and the back door dropped, ramp extended. Jared tapped Yang, who was right beside him, on the shoulder. Yang had been leaning her head back into her seat with her eyes closed. Her lids parted, revealing the her lilac eyes. She turned to face Jared, her eyebrows raising as she did so.

"We're here," Jared said. "Nap time's over."

"I was just closing my eyes," Yang exhaled sharply as she stretched her arms up and rotated her waist.

"Let's not keep the General waiting." Jared stated as he stood, grabbing his helmet as he led Yang out.

In front of the main, hexagonal door that was flanked by two soldiers, General Ironwood stood waiting with his arms clasped behind his back, a squad of Atlesian Knights waiting on his rear. Like always, he stood completely straight, jaw just a bit above standard level, watching Jared as he approached. _Damn, I feel like Tested right now._ Jared really felt the urge to slip his helmet on and salute the man. The militaristic feel attacked his drilled in training and discipline, pushing him to do so. Ironwood's greeting snapped him out of it.

"Hello, Jared," Ironwood nodded, then lifted his gaze to Yang. "It was my understanding that this would have been… a tight circle?"

"Well, we are a bit short handed and don't have a lot of resources," Jared shrugged. "But our friends helped us in the past, and were capable of making up for numbers."

"Are you sure that you want _her_ here for this?" Ironwood had a more grim expression on his face.

Jared sensed Yang looking at him, confused. It was probably easy for her to forget what Jared was trained to do.

"It'll be fine." Jared assured.

"Alright," Ironwood turned and beckoned them to follow. "This way."

The androids parted into two columns and allowed the general to pass through. As Jared and Yang followed, the AK-200s formed a box around them, Ironwood leading the way. Something about the androids was unsettling. The way they walked, the whirring of the joints, the syncopation in the steps; it all reminded him of the Droid Army during the Clone Wars. Endless waves of mindless drones firing at you and advancing in a steady march was something he would never ever forget.

The prison wasn't as large as Jared thought. They had passed the first checkpoint right after going through the front door, then went through corridors and corridors of white. Other than the black edges and corners of each wall, the place was florescent, much like the walls of Kamino, but not with the same intensity of lighting. On the way, Jared saw several patrols of standard Atlesian guards, each patrol saluting the general as he passed.

"Not exactly high capacity," Jared commented. "No offense."

"None taken," The Ironwood replied. "It was never intended to be a main prison, but rather a more secured location to hold these specific prisoners," Ironwood turned his head to face Jared. "They don't exactly play well with others."

"I wouldn't." Jared agreed. "How many?"

"We can hold up to eighty inmates here so far, and after more construction, one hundred," Ironwood explained. "But right now, we are holding sixty eight prisoners here; all of them clone troopers."

"Where do you keep their armor and uniforms?" Jared asked.

"Weapons are locked down in the vault, and their armor is under confiscation."

"Good. According to Shadow, a lot more clones escaped the battle than we expected. It's best to keep them away from their armor so they cannot call for help."

"That is troublesome." Ironwood looked down in thought.

Finally, they reached the last checkpoint, the corridor and the cells being separated by two energy walls. The first energy barrier came down, allowing them through, then closed behind them. Ironwood looked at the man manning the gate controls. The two Atlesian soldiers behind the glass sat in a small office, each of them scanning Jared and Yang before opening the final barrier. Jared took a deep breath and slipped his helmet on before walking through. Sure enough, Jared saw forty cells; twenty on his left and twenty on his right, forming a large, wide corridor. Ironwood led them through.

"All sixty eight of them have been kept here," Ironwood explained. "I've kept them in pairs in order to conserve space."

"Solo may have been a better bet." Jared replied, passing each cell.

Each cell housed two clones; two exact copies of Jango Fett, except they wore prison grey uniforms. The clones were doing different things, ranging between sleeping, chatting, working out, or just glaring at their visitors as they passed by.

"Whoa," Yang breathed. "You weren't joking when you said, _'clones'_ , were you?"

"Imagine a whole Army like that." Jared added.

"Even Tested looks like them, along with TJ and GT."

"Well, some are different than others though," Jared said as they passed by several clones who were either shaved or had short mohawks. One even had blond spiky hair.

"They haven't been very cooperative with us," Ironwood cleared his throat. "Hopefully you will have better luck."

"These cells are secure, right?" Jared asked warily, as he noticed every clone he passed began to glare at him. "Something tells me sixty eight men here really want to rip my guts out."

"There are always four guards sent when transporting prisoners, and the doors only unlock from the checkpoint," Ironwood replied. "It's quite secure."

"Alright," Jared cracked his knuckles. "This is going to be a long day."

"I'll prepare the interrogation room." Ironwood said as he strode to the door.

"So," Yang put her elbow on Jared's shoulder and leaned on it. "Sixty eight males. How hard can it be?"

"These guys don't crack easily," Jared sighed. "A lot of them are probably battle hardened Veterans of the Clone Wars."

"Okay, pretending I know what that means," Yang smirked. "Last I checked, guys always had a soft spot." She winked.

"Oh, heh," Jared chuckled. "You'd be surprised, Yang. It really won't matter how hard you squeeze."

"Not in my experience."

"Save the trouble of putting them into shock and having to call in paramedics to rush them to surgery," Jared shook his head. "While standard units weren't as well trained as us, they are still trained to resist torture. We need a game plan."

"Did you have one in mind?"

Jared has been an interrogator before. Normally, interrogations were left to higher ranked officers in SOB-DE while SBH focused on capturing the asset, but Jared knew exactly what to do. He knew how to play both physically and psychically. With the human anatomy and intensive mental training at his disposal, not much could stop him.

"I've got a few ideas…" He said.

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

Torchwick was an interesting character. He didn't really seem all that powerful, yet he was cunning. He never showed fear and let anything get to him. He was also quite resourceful, with Shash obviously taking advantage of this prior. Bane got the feeling that Shash and Torchwick never really liked each other, but had a mutual partnership just due to their skills. Torchwick had the resources, and Shash and his team had the skill and training. It made sense. The same feeling seemed to stay with him, this time pointed towards Bane. But Bane didn't directly need Torchwick for his mission. He only needed a ticket to Vale, a sufficient stash of weapons, and a way back home; It was basically what Roman was capable of offering.

Atlas was a very interesting city. A-64 and Red had given him a recce of a the place, but the white, smooth, and polished skyscrapers didn't really set in his mind until he saw them in person. Roman's Atlesian Military dropship deployed him and Bane in the lower income area of the city, where a limousine was parked and ready to pick them up. For such a threatening world, Bane found it hilarious that their vehicles still used standard tires and wheels.

The vehicle finally stopped at a small building. It didn't seem to serve any purpose but hold a business, except there was no signs or clues to a business being there. It was almost like a warehouse, except it seemed to be more of an office building.

Roman Torchwick led Bane out of the car inside. As Bane followed, he made sure to remember every last bit of the layout; the surroundings, the entrances, exits, and pathways were implanted into his mind. The place started looking like the real deal once he started seeing guards. The guards wore completely black suits and hefted assault weapons. Bane noticed a few of them carrying swords as well. The number of guards increased the closer they got to the main room as they passed the wrecked halls. The plaster had been worn and torn with yellow grime and other substances Bane could not identify near the framework, making the light green walls look like a polluted river. Finally, they reached the main room. It was a low lit setting with three men around a round table. Bane smelled the cigars as soon as he entered. Tobacco reeked the place.

"Torchwick," one of the men announced. "You're late."

"And you have brought a friend?" another added.

The three men were in the darkness, but Bane could make them out. One wore a thick leather jacket and had shoulder length blond hair with a trim beard, his cheekbones prominent, gruff, and hard lined. He spoke with a rough voice, almost raspy. He didn't seem to be in a good mood. Another man had a grey vest with a dark blue shirt and white tie. His complexion was something of a darker skin tone, and he was bald, his bare head shining from the light. The last man had a black tuxedo, much like many of the guards. He had brooding black hair, slicked backwards by gel. His face was long and his eyes were an extremely light shade of green. Bane noticed the men seeming a little started by him. ARCs had that effect. A big, bulky armored figure carrying a rifle on his back and two sidearms holstered on his sides; Bane was an imposing figure.

"You brought one of them here?" The blond man growled. Bane realized he was referencing that he was a Clone.

"Relax," Roman rolled his eyes. "He's like Shash."

"Why did you call us here Roman?" The man growled. "We concluded our business months ago and went our separate ways."

"Well, I have an opportunity this time around," Roman didn't bother sitting, rather pacing around the table and fiddling with his cane. "Something a lot more beneficial, and less costly."

"Shash and his boys costed me a lot more than I was promised last time." The dark skinned man added.

"Really now?" Roman cocked his head at him. "Last I checked, you couldn't even afford a proper suit. Look what type of money Shash provided you."

"At the time he ended business, the Nova team left so much wreckage that Atlas authorities went for a full sweep of the place. Three scores of my military grade dust weapons were confiscated, along with two stashes of lien," The man smashed his fist into the table. "The only one who hasn't lost anything was Mr. James." he motioned to the other man with the black suit.

He was awfully quiet. Then again, so was Bane, as he crossed his arms and stayed in the shadows.

"How about this?" Roman proposed. "Have you heard about the new array of weapons hitting the streets?"

"Yeah," The blond man gritted his teeth. "Random gangs thinking they can shoot up my places? If only the firepower..."

"Well, guess who's selling?" Roman smirked.

"Who? You?" The dark skinned man raised an eyebrow.

"As a matter of fact, I'm the only seller." Roman answered gleefully. "While I do charge a lot for this… _exclusive arsenal_ … perhaps we can come to a reduced price as a bargaining chip for a deal?"

"A deal that ended like last time?" The blond man snorted.

"I'm certain that _Bane_ here will be able to deliver on any additions you would like to your net worth."

"Bane, eh?" The blond man scoffed. "You don't seem to be wearing the same armor as Shash's men."

"I wear an older model." Bane replied with ease.

"Older model? I would think a soldier would be smarter than that."

"Sometimes, you've got to stay with the classics," Bane stated. "Either for the nostalgia, or for preference."

"What is it you want in return?"

"Ultimately, unconditional and undetected transport to Vale and back," Bane listed. "Momentarily, 50% of all your net worth to assure compliance."

"Fifty fucking percent?" The dark skinned man asked in fury. "This is outrageous!"

This was taking too long. Bane knew this was going to be a long campaign, but he needed the resources as fast as possible. There were three objectives he had to fulfill, and he didn't know how long it would all take. The longer he stayed on this mission, the longer he would be pulled away from tasks from the Special Operations Brigade. Special missions he could be on right now could turn the tide and end the insurrectionist war, but he was stuck doing _this_.

"Reese, please," Torchwick named the dark skinned man. "I highly advise you reconsider."

"I'm inclined to agree, Mr. Torchwick," The blond man added. "The offer is rather, far fetched; even for me."

"How about a counteroffer?" Bane interjected, losing his patience. "How about you take the deal and keep your lives?"

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Reese asked, looking him up and down.

"Bane, let me handle this-" Roman tried to stop him.

"Any objections?" Bane shoved past the criminal.

Bane could already sense the tension in the room. Some of it was more based on annoyance, some of it on fright, some of it on worry, but there was also anger. The dark skinned man drew a weapon right away, Bane already anticipating the attack. His arm reached out to the weapon, feeling his grip from the force, then yanked it free from the grip. The barrel of the pistol landed in Bane's right hand, as he used his left to reach Reese's neck. Through the force, he felt the grip, levitating the man off the ground now as he struggled, choked, gagged, and gasped in the air, clawing at an arm that wasn't holding him. Bane let him suffer for a few moments before making his hand a fist and tightening the grip to its fullest potential, breaking the man's neck with a resounding wet crack. The body fell in dead silence.

"Is there a second one?" Bane taunted.

The man in the black suit, finally spoke, his voice slithering in with a sinister cackle.

"On the contrary," He grinned. "You have my cooperation."

"Uh, yeah," The blond man agreed nervously. "I'm in."

"You may split Mr. Reese's assets," Bane stated. "But put the word out for anyone you know; I'm not Shash. I'm not looking for a long term stay. I don't carry his patience, but I do carry ten times the strength of him and his team. I'll have my way and allow benefits for all of us," Bane paused, tossing the pistol on the table before continuing. "Or one of us."

Bane felt a nudge to his side. He turned to see Torchwick with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?" He muttered.

Bane stepped back from the table and turned to Roman, tilting his head in motioning him to speak.

"Let me do the talking," He grumbled. "What you are doing is bad for business."

"You take too long," Bane shot back. "And for the record, I'm not on _your_ timetable. You are _on mine_."

"Shall we get this meeting under way?" The man in the suit interrupted.

"Yes, we may."

-GT 3rd Person POV-

"Try it now!" TJ called out.

GT went over to the computer consoles and pressed the on button. The three monitors that were set up glowed. One screen began to showcase live security footage from the cameras set up, one began displaying files, and the center was a regular desktop. GT smiled. It had taken two hours to get all the wiring right, and another hour to encrypt the system.

"Hey! Am I talking to a brick wall?!" TJ called from across the room on a wall of crates. He was surrounded by wires that led to their makeshift command center.

"Yes, yes, we're good!" GT gave a thumbs up. "Good work!"

"Brilliant!" TJ sighed heavily. Even from GT's position, he heard it. "Once I find a way to get down without unplugging all these wires, I'll come over!"

GT chuckled at his brother's predicament and let his eyes fall onto the monitors. All he had to do now was set up the commlink system, patch it through the CCT and use the same encryption. Now that their system was protected, it was a matter of minutes that would pass before that was done. He already ran the pre-set program. It was Designer's, and like all of Designer's programs, they worked very quick, and very well. A shuffling behind him caused GT to turn. Tested had been laying out the ammunition and weapons.

"Tested, we only packed what we needed," GT stated, "But what do we have exactly, and how much rationing did we do?"

"Three Deeces," Tested explained. "One for us three Shadow Troopers. We packed one sniper attachment for the Deece, two thermal grenades, a concussion grenade, an incendiary grenade, and nine clips of Deece assault ammo, and one for the the sniper. That's three clips between the three of us of assault and one mag for anyone who feels like the sharpest shooter ever. Five hundred forty five shots total."

"What about for quick patrol missions?" TJ asked, finally reaching the top of the stairs.

"Two silenced sidearms," Tested answered. "Two mags each."

"We'll be in armor at all times," GT stated firmly. "We leave the sniper attachment here, but our DC-17Ms should always be with us."

"Armored figures aren't exactly inconspicuous, GT." TJ shook his head. "I mean, have you read the news? We're the _Black Knights._ Might as well tip our enemies off."

"Well, hopefully Weiss and Ruby come back with those trench coats." GT patted his TJ's shoulder. "Shouldn't be hard to hide the Deece, but what you do with your helmet is up to you."

A beeping came from the computers, signifying the program had finished its job. GT leaned forward and pressed the command key, turning on the microphone.

"Jaune, Pyrrha," He said. "You can come inside now. We have video feed of the streets."

"Well, I see the radios are working now." Jaune noted.

"Please don't make it obvious that you are talking into an earpiece, Mr. Arc," GT sighed. "Just come in."

"On the way." Jaune said.

"Ruby, Weiss, progress?" GT continued.

"Just finished shopping." Weiss replied.

"We got Tested a dark blue, TJ a dark beige, and you a dark white!" Ruby added.

"Dark white?" TJ muttered.

"You mean grey?" GT rolled his eyes.

"Same thing." Ruby waved on.

"Alright, hurry up and get here before noon," GT ordered. "We'll have lunch, organize patrols, and start having a look around starting at one o'clock."

"Yes sir-ey!" Ruby acknowledged in a perky tone. "Team White-Rose, over and out!"

The line went dead, and the three stood there, cringing at the girl's last statement.

"You know," Tested said, breaking the silence. "I always forget she's fifteen."

"What's that supposed to mean?" GT grinned, hitting the Sergeant in the shoulder.

"Not like that," Tested scoffed. "Not my type anyway."

"Oh he has a type now?" TJ joined in, the Twins descending into laughter.

"Wow." Tested blushed and shook his head, turning away to go back to his task.

-Blake 3rd Person POV-

"So what exactly can we do?" Nora asked.

Blake was with Shadow, Nora and Ren at Shadow's dorm, discussing their game plan. This was probably more of an assault team rather than a stealth job.

"I honestly don't really know if I want you two to do anything." Shadow replied.

"Why not?"

"Do you two have any experience with black ops at all?"

"Stealth is something I can do," Ren answered. "Nora on the other hand, is a bit more suited for being loud."

"I can hit it with my hammer!" Nora perked.

"Hit what?" Ren sighed.

"Anything!" Nora said cheerfully.

"Well I don't really want you to hit anything," Shadow cut in. "This is a covert mission."

"Ugh," Nora exaggerated a slouch. "I hate those."

"Going over this one more time," Shadow took a deep breath. "I'm going to speak to Yang's favourite contact in the shady side of town and-"

"We can break his legs!" Nora interrupted.

"What?" Shadow was stunned by the lack of thinking within that answer. "No! I'm just going to talk to him. He may possibly know of the shipments of Republic weaponry being shipped out onto the streets."

"And then we can break his legs!"

"No… we aren't breaking anyone's legs," Shadow ran his hand down his face. "In fact, you won't be there. Blake will be with me as back up."

"Why don't you just bring us?" Nora asked.

"Do I really need to answer that question?" Shadow shook his head. "Either way, I want you and Ren on the streets. If another shooting happens, chances are it will involve Republic weaponry, in which you and Ren should make an attempt to confiscate it. See if you can catch any of the gang members as well-"

"And break their le-"

"Don't finish that sentence." Shadow stopped Nora before she could continue.

"If you see any sightings of the White Fang, call us." Blake added. She still had somewhat of a history with the group.

"We should also be on the lookout for, _'clone troopers'_ as well?" Ren asked.

"Yes, that would also be helpful." Shadow nodded.

"I have one question." Nora raised her hand.

Shadow took a deep sigh before saying, "What is it, Nora?"

"If the so-called contact doesn't talk," She started slowly. "Then what?"

Shadow rolled his eyes, knowing what she was getting at. Blake was surprised to see that he let Nora have her fun this time.

"Then we can break his legs." Shadow responded, noticeably annoyed.

Nora only pumped her fist with a sturdy, "Perfect!", not seeming to notice Shadow's expression.

This wasn't going to be a easy day.

-Viper 3rd Person POV-

Viper rushed back as soon as he heard there was a man down. He got back to see Spade in the infirmary. The Alpha ARC was lying in a bed, his armor plates and gear stacked one side. He had a cast around his left leg and bandages and stitches everywhere else. Spade's arm looked like someone had decided it was dinner. Everywhere else on Spade was basically either purple or crimson red with bumps, blisters, and bruises. Spade now even had a deep cut on the top right of his forehead, going diagonally up to the right to meet his hairline. The stitches looked like they were the only thing keeping his skull in his head. Spade also had a black eye and a big, mountainous bruise on his jaw. Viper wondered what the hell he had been through in only two days. Spade was definitely pull through and be back at full one hundred percent combat efficiency, but how long it would take was the question. The first thing that Viper asked when he got back was bacta tanks. Luckily, Torchwick and the White Fang had captured a few bacta tanks, but didn't know how to use them. As soon as they were hooked up into the power supply, Viper could get them online.

Viper had been at a cluster of nearby villages, armed with a PLX-1 rocket launcher, several grenades, his WESTAR M5 with mounted grenade launcher, his Z-6 rotary blaster cannon, and a T-21 light repeater. The villages were getting very wary of the White Fang activity and regularly shunned or interrupted patrols and missions. It only took one visit and two hours at each village. He started with rockets, blowing up the sheriff's or any sort of authority building first, then gunned down any who challenged him. If still receiving glares rather than fear, then all he did was mow down a house, a saloon, or better yet, a school.

Viper approached the bed, not surprised when Spade's arm revealed a blaster. Still, even in injury, he was an ARC trooper. Spade lowered the weapon, clicking the safety on and sliding it under his pillow.

"A little name call would have sufficed," Spade said, irritated.

"I wasn't being sneaky anyways." Viper shrugged.

"Casual walking for us is usually sloppy stealth for the enemy." Spade stated.

"I guess I'll stomp towards you next time," Viper said sarcastically. "Maybe even scream at the top of my lungs as well."

"I'd probably still shoot you."

"Damn right," Viper chuckled. "How do you feel?"

"Badass," Spade struggled as he sat more upright. "Gotta polish armor and replace equipment. What's the story out there?"

"We didn't manage to recover any assets," Viper sighed. "Only thing that Bane got was old favours owed to Shash and Torchwick. Other than that, we've acquired two safe houses and one mole."

"Where is Ranger?"

"He and Ripper are off on a salvage mission. Red and A-64 have established a hideout, but are looking for a base of operations in Atlas."

"That just leave you and me, then." Spade exhaled. "Excellent. What are we up to?"

"I'm supposed to wait until you are combat ready," Viper explained. "As soon as bacta tanks are ready, you should make a speedy recovery."

"We still have that portal, right?"

"Yeah," Viper nodded. "Apparently the guys on the other side have been supplying weapons."

"I'd hate to know where _they_ have been getting weapons."

"Hey, for all we know, once we're through with them, we're probably going to be the one to bring the place down on their heads."

"I'd much rather be on the field right now,"

"Sure, if you want to fall over every step you take in combat."

"You remind me of A-17." Spade scoffed.

"Just hold out till you are combat ready," Viper patted his shoulder. "Then you can bring the hurt down on whoever you like."

-Weiss 3rd Person POV-

Weiss really did not want to be here right now. The fact that she booked a flight back home was already unsettling her. It was only a matter of time before her father found out. This was the one place Weiss left to go study at Beacon. She didn't want to be part of Atlas's program, where becoming a soldier or part of the military was the ultimate outcome of graduating their Huntsmen Academy. Luckily, the SBH knew how to hide, and she was glad for it this time.

The only ones at the base right now were Tested, her and Ruby. Ruby had been sharpening Crescent Rose, humming a rather annoying tune. It sounded funny against the scrapping of the blade, almost sinister if Weiss didn't know her. Weiss didn't really know what Tested had been doing, but he was on the computers, his eyes darting around the screen and his hands typing and scrolling with absolute determination.

Then Weiss's scroll rang. She pulled her scroll from her side and opened it up. The caller ID displayed one of the names she knew since she was born. _Winter Schnee_.

Her heart dropped. Should she answer it? Weiss was rather fond of Winter as a sister, but was this really the time? She noticed Tested and Ruby watching her, Tested's stone cold brown eyes of disinterest and Ruby's silver and innocent eyes, both full of curiosity.

"Are you going to get that?" Ruby asked, raising her eyebrow.

"We've already encrypted signals in our vicinity," Tested sighed. "If you want to answer it or not, it's your choice. Just as long as you don't keep letting it ring."

"No," Weiss gulped as she finally decided.

"We're back," GT announced as he and TJ entered the building. "We just had a look around the crime scenes of the previous attacks and went on a stroll to see if any White Fang members stuck around."

Weiss saw GT come up the metal staircase, TJ pulling up the rear. Both twins were in their trench coats, looking a bit funny with their armor underneath. Weiss honestly thought they looked like legitimate Huntsmen. They were of the correct age look and wore their weapons on their back, minus their guns and ammunition. Their helmets were clipped to the small of their backs, almost blending in their sheaths and ruffles of clothing. GT took his trench coat off and threw it on a chair, making his way over to Tested and the computers. He dropped his scroll on the desk that Tested was using.

"Upload the data," GT ordered. "Your patrol can shift out as soon as you are ready."

GT turned to Weiss.

"Weiss, layout?" he asked.

"Tested already uploaded it onto your database." Weiss replied.

"Good," GT looked as if he was going to regret asking something. The way he stared at her and began to bite his lip gave away the feeling immediately. Finally, he asked, "Do you have any lien we can use?"

"Not exactly," Weiss answered slowly. "Why?"

"It's good to keep a reserve of cash on a mission like this," GT explained. "You never know."

"I might be able to pull some strings," Weiss mulled it over. "No promises."

"Do your best," GT nodded. "I don't particularly want to take money from your family for no reason, but using lien dispensers is not always the safest."

Weiss already knew that she wouldn't be able to supply the lien, nor should she want to try. Too risky. Her father would notice.

"Tested?" GT's voice snapped her out of thought. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Tested replied.

Weiss glanced over at the computers. On the center monitor, it displayed several photos of different people. Tested seemed to be focused on one of the female profiles. She didn't read any information or names before Tested closed the window.

"Why are you looking through the Atlas Person database?" GT continued.

"Just looking someone up." Tested replied.

"You have a lead?"

"No," Tested spun in the chair, eyes more focused on the ground. "Just an old friend. Nothing to worry about."

Tested seemed to obviously want to move on with the conversation. GT looked as if he knew this, but played along anyway. With the motion of a head, Tested understood the message, and stood from the station. GT sat down then plugged his scroll in. Tested went over and grabbed his trench coat. He was already wearing his armor, minus his helmet that was clipped to the small of his back in a similar fashion to the Twins. He put a bead-sized earpiece in his ear and ruffled his coat, making sure his weapons were concealed.

"You're live, Tested," TJ announced, standing beside GT, looking at the commlink monitor. "You three can deploy. Pyrrha and Jaune will be back in an hour, but I want you guys back before twenty hundred hours. Depending on what GT and I figure out from our findings, we may have a lead by then."

"Alright," Tested acknowledged. "Weiss, Ruby, ready to go?"

"Absolutely," Ruby hopped up, twirling his Scythe and letting it fold back into its portable mode. "I've been bored to death here."

"As am I." Weiss piped in. "Let's go before Ruby starts going introverted."

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

No matter what world he's on; Shadow has seen it before. The less funded and sketchy part of town was not much different from the ghetto areas Shadow had been deployed during covert operations. There have been plenty of missions where Shadow has had to go without armor or disguise himself to fit into a crowd. Sketchy areas were the easiest for him to blend in, as most SBH armor had a feature where you could attach extra armor or clothing to hide the plastoid plates. This is mainly the reason the SBH did not have trouble with customizing their armor.

Regardless, Shadow didn't really need to disguise himself this time around. The area was pretty vacant. The dull grey buildings gave little life to the place, and with the sun setting, there was going to be less light than there already was, making the place look like an interrogation room. However, one thing was lively about the area, and it was a steady bass beat, repeating the same thumping rhythm. Shadow continued his way to his destination; Junior's club.

"Do you want me to wait outside?" Blake asked.

"Nah, it's fine," Shadow shrugged as he slid his hood on, activating his HUD and flipping his thermal imaging filter on. "There shouldn't be any shooting anyway."

"I never said there was going to be shooting." Blake pointed out.

"The fact still remains."

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

Shadow turned back to Blake, searching for the correct words.

"I'm not planning on starting a fight," Shadow said carefully. "But I'm ready for one."

Shadow was ready for a fight. Other than his standard load out, he carried his DC-17M with all the attachments; along with three hundred rounds of ammunition for the assault rifle mode, twelve rounds for the sniper, and two grenades for the anti armor attachment. In addition, he had his dual sidearms and three thermal detonators. In short, he had enough to level the building.

"Two guards at the front interior door," Shadow called out as he strode towards the building. "Armed with pistols."

"Yang usually scares them off."

"I'll try talking."

As Shadow approached the guards, he saw them reach into their black blazers, drawing their weapons. Shadow instantly reacted, drawing his DC-17M, praying that he snapped the attachment on before pulling the trigger. A shrieking sound jitter rushed through the air and blinding light hit both targets. Shadow waited a moment before proceeding forward. Looked back at Blake, who seemed disappointed.

"They aren't dead," Shadow assured. "PEP laser attachment. I got it from Shash. It's a crowd control weapon."

Blake still wasn't impressed.

"They drew first." Shadow rolled his eyes and unequipped the rifle, walking through the sliding doors.

Walking into the club, Shadow was a bit impressed with the look. The glass structures around the light up dance floor made the area bright and a great place to party. The atmosphere was already sucking him in, and the club beat made him want to bob his head. He scanned several more guards inside, each of them near the corners. As soon as Shadow became visible, they approached quickly. Shadow shut his HUD off and slid back his hood.

"Hey pal," The lead man stopped Shadow. "We're not open yet."

"I'm here to speak to Junior." Shadow stated.

"You can speak to him if you've got a meeting. Beat it."

Shadow began to walk past him until he felt the barrel press on his abdominal plate; the softer area of his armor. Shadow froze, just barely resisting to draw his sidearm and shoot the man right there.

"Leave." The man spoke sternly.

"I'm going to speak to Junior," Shadow said with utmost authority, turning his head to face him. "Are you going to stop me?"

Three whole seconds in the cold, death stare. Shadow was reading the man's face. While hard to see through the man's red tinted shades, the still jaw told him that a fight was imminent. Shadow prepared to defend himself, calculating the time it would take to shoot down multiple opponents before they could shoot back.

"Stop!" A voice ceased the conflict.

Shadow froze, seeing the guards' formation dissipate, revealing a bearded man in dress pants, a white dress shirt with a red tie and black vest on top. Yang's description matched. This was Junior.

"I know you," He pointed at someone past Shadow. Shadow turned to see it was Blake. "You were here with blondie before."

Blake nodded, remaining silent.

"And you," Junior faced Shadow. "You're one of those _Black Knights_ , aren't you? Heroes of Vale?"

"And you may know one of my friends as well?" Shadow continued.

"Yes, Tested," Junior nodded. "He works here."

"That'd be him."

"What exactly are you here for?"

"Information."

"What kind of information?"

"The kind that our mutual friend _'blondie'_ usually comes around for."

Junior looked at Shadow and Blake suspiciously, then motioned them to follow. The guards slowly parted to let Shadow and Blake through, following Junior all the way to his office. Junior sat down at his desk. Blake seemed to be unphased by the red lighting that gave the office an unpleasant feel. She had been here before anyway.

"So what is it you want to know?" Junior asked as he leaned back in his chair. "Blondie usually comes by because I usually know everything that goes on in the city."

"I happen to fall under that category," Shadow stated as he pulled his sidearm out and placed it on the desk. "Look familiar?"

"Can't say it does." Junior inspected the blaster. "This doesn't look like it could shoot dust."

"It doesn't," Shadow explained. "It's ammunition is more powerful and effective than most dust types used handheld. It's not the standard play toy."

"Dust is the _only_ resource we use for weapons." Junior pointed out.

"Yes because this is what _we_ use," Shadow said back. "The Republic Army that attacked Vale three months ago used this type of technology."

"I don't exactly understand what you are looking for."

"I'm just curious if you have heard anything about large shipments of weapons of the same caliber being sold onto the streets," Shadow popped the question. "They aren't being sold by rogue Republic Soldiers, so they have to be coming from somewhere."

"That sounds familiar," Junior stroked his beard. "I have heard of a new array of weapons up for sale under the radar. In fact, I planned on buying an array for my men."

"Those weapons shouldn't be on the streets in the first place." Shadow shook his head. "It's technology from my universe, and it must not fall into the wrong hands."

"It's a tough market anyway," Junior scoffed. "Only one seller."

"One seller?" Blake raised an eyebrow. "Who is it?"

"Someone named _Rezla_ ," Junior replied. "I haven't met the man before, other than knowing he likes to wear a white mask, I know he works with Roman Torchwick."

"Torchwick?"

"That's the way I heard about it."

"Do you know how to contact or find them?" Shadow pressed on.

"That is a different story," Junior shook his head. "He contacts us. It's impossible to find him, and he's connected to the White Fang."

"They still work together?" Blake muttered under her breath.

"I suppose that makes your task harder?" Junior sighed.

"Actually," Shadow thought in his head. "That makes it easier… When was the last time you heard from him?"

-Red 3rd Person POV-

Red hated covert missions. He longed for being behind the scope of a sniper rifle, dropping targets like flies. He was the best, and had the most confirmed sniper kills in the Grand Army of Republic. His long range skill had usually been paired with Spade's close range specialty, and their tactics proved their capabilities on Felucia. Despite the place being a hell hole, Red had the highest amount of confirmed kills of the campaign.

Now it was just reconnaissance. Not only recon, but covert reconnaissance. He felt naked without his helmet, walking around in civilian clothes that A-64 had acquired. Red wore dark blue jeans and a grey hoodie with a black leather jacket on top. He wore the hood over his face and slouched to ruin his posture. ARCs in particular always stood straighter than the normal clone, due to the pauldron, and he was six feet tall and a rather muscular human being. Slouching was probably the best thing to do. The hood also helped with covering his face. Something told him that Atlesian soldiers would recognize him as a clone. Still, if he ever had to get into a fight, he had a sidearm tucked into the back of his belt, and two extra magazines in his right jacket pocket. He also carried his helmet eyepiece in his other pocket, and the advanced commlink strapped to his jacket interior.

Red passed by the same patrol route that Atlesian Military units used. Roman had said that Military forces have been deployed here due to the terrorist attacks from the White Fang. Red would have laughed at the Faunus rebellion managing to throw a faction into such dire consequences, but now they were armed with Republic weapons, and the Atlesian Military didn't seem to be very impressive. The story would go once Ranger got back. The real threat was the Huntsmen and Huntresses. According to the brief, all animals, other than the hostile and evil Grimm, carry a energy inside of them called aura. These elite warriors, the Huntsmen and Huntresses, trained to use their aura as a protective barrier to defend them against attacks. Combine that with using their aura for physical augmentation, and their abilities called Semblance, they sounded extremely dangerous.

Two Atlesian Knight 200s passed through him, their clunking and rhythmetic march with complete synchronization. _So this was a regular patrol route_. What would take longer would be finding the rest.

The group needed these routes to keep operations in Atlas concealed. These operations and assets would be handed over to Roman, once their mission was accomplished. The assets in Atlas were also critical in getting access to Vale. Once they got access Vale, they needed a way in and out. From there, things would be easier.

Red continued down his path until he stumbled upon another patrol at an intersection. After waiting for his signal to cross, he followed the patrol. _So their routes overlap. Interesting._ Red continued this pattern two more times, mapping the routes in his head, then he froze, hearing a faint, deep humming in the air. The sound of a cruiser always dropped your courage in combat, especially if it wasn't yours. The Atlesian Airship glided by. It really wasn't that large. A Consular Class cruiser seemed to almost match the size, and those were small compared to an Acclamator Class Assault Ship or Venator Class Star Destroyer. The ship seemed to be on a curving path, indicating that it probably traveled in a circle. Red backed into the shadows, making sure nobody was looking before he slipped his eyepiece over his right eye. Tactical data popped up instantly. Red received an approximate estimated heading of the ship. He would compare that to the location of the Atlas Military base for future reference. He slipped his eyepiece back into his pocket and backed into a side cross street.

Red considered going to go check out Atlas's prize jewel; the Cross Continental Transmit System, or the CCT. It was an imperative strategic asset for the Kingdom, and was a high value strategic target for them. All communication throughout the four Kingdoms traveled through it. With Atlas's being the largest and foremost one, it was probably the one that was juiciest in information. It was tempting to take a left on the next intersection and continue on, but turning that way made something catch his eye.

He stopped, backing away from the street corner and towards an alley. He took another look. _I know that face_. Red knew the face he was looking at all too well. It was a face that he saw every day; every time he met a brother, or even looked in the mirror, he saw it. It was a face that screamed friendly to him. It was the face of Jango Fett; the face that practically every soldier in the Grand Army of the Republic had. That meant one thing; he was looking at a Clone trooper.

He stuck a bead sized earpiece into his right ear and opened his jacket, linking the tech to the advanced commlink and securing a channel. He keyed in a direct link to A-64, listening to a repetitive beep in front of a quiet hum of static. Finally, the beeping stopped, along with the static. A-64's voice sounded grumpy.

"Alpha 64 here," He grumbled. "Speak."

"Alpha 48 here," Red announced.

"What is it?" A-64 asked, obviously irritated. "I'm not exactly in the best place."

"Possible target or friendly spotted," Red explained. "It's a _very_ familiar face."

"Is it a Clone?"

"No doubt about it."

"I thought you were in the low value area of the city."

"I made a trip near one of the market areas."

"Are you sure?"

"You think I would mistake someone else for that face?"

Red took a deeper look, watching the clone. He wore a dark blue trench coat, but the bulks in his coat suggested he was armed. He was also in armor, as he could see part of his lower shins in the plastoid plates. As he shifted around, Red saw the colouration and markings. He knew exactly what type of armor that was, even if he had only seen so little. His sharp eyesight gave him the image, and his mind gave him the classification. _Shadow Trooper. Threat_.

"Target," Red reached for his sidearm. "It's a Shadow Trooper."

"SBH?" A-64 seemed a bit shocked. " _Here_?"

"Affirmative," Red replied. "Looks too old to be the main leaders. Possibly the twins."

"Can you ID him?"

"Stand by," Red said as he held his eyepiece on his right eye, locking onto the Clone. The armor tally reading popped up almost instantly. "The armor tally is CT-28-4551," He read out loud. "The Shadow Trooper nicknamed _Titus_..."

"Titus is confirmed KIA," A-64 stated firmly. "Check again."

"That's the armor tally I'm getting." Red sighed. "Think someone is wearing his armor?"

"Only one way to find out," 64 replied. "Stay on him and mark your location every time you stop. What is your location right now? Any place of importance?"

"Nothing other than the fact that there was a Faunus rights protest here about a week ago," Red thought about what he had been reading through the news earlier. "White Fang bombed the area and there were twenty three civilian casualties and thirteen Atlesian soldiers killed in action with another four wounded. Fight was broken up by Atlas Specialists."

"Is that a coincidence?"

"No idea."

"Just tail him until we regroup," A-64 said. "I'm very close by. ETA, three minutes."

"Copy," Red acknowledged. "Alpha 48, out."

-Tested 3rd Person POV-

Tested stood outside of a store in the marketplace. He was there to investigate the bombing here at a Faunus protest that ended in terrorism. Damage caused by Republic weaponry was quite noticeable. Scorch marks still remained on the walls and the road was closed off due to the cracked streets from the thermal detonators. Atlas Military Special Operatives had broken up the fight, and had recovered DC-15A blaster rifles. Tested expected the more versatile and compact DC-15S carbine, as it was a lot more portable and easy to sneak into a massive protest. The fact that the initial Faunus at the protest were not White Fang meant they did not likely help to sneak the weapons in. A large, 1.3 meter long rifle was not something that one could easily hide without commotion. The question was: _how did they get the weapons here_? There was no dropship deployment. The only way Tested's group could find anything was to ask around the area. Perhaps these shop owners saw something. Perhaps they may be hiding something. Perhaps they may have helped, in which case, gives them a lead to follow.

Tested tried to focus on the facts, but he couldn't. He just couldn't find the focus for this problem. Never has he had the problem to focus on a task and complete it. His mind was on other things. Returning to Atlas reminded him of what happened almost five months ago; his deployment on a mission that was a lot more complicated than it was intended to be, the loss of his entire team, his change of views on internal struggles in the Grand Army of the Republic, and _Laura_.

In Tested's defence, he wasn't trained to interact with civilians at the time. He was in a position of despair, trying to protect his men, and in doing so, the introduction to Laura was rather… destructive and abusive to say the least. Now it occurred to Tested that he never looked back to check and see what happened to her. They had abandoned her to protect her and keep the 21st Nova ARCs on his tail, but Tested never knew for sure whether they even decided that she wasn't a threat and left her, or realized she was a loose string and ended her life. There would have been nothing to stop them. Tested didn't really know why he cared through. Their relationship has been quite strained, and didn't really advance from hostage to acquaintance. It was disheartening to know that he had basically said ' _none of your business_ ' when she asked whether they would survive against the Nova, when he couldn't even ask her if she would be fine. _She was pretty though, and nice once we had gotten past the shouting. If we had met under different circumstances…_

 _No._ That was dangerous thinking. It was dangerous to start thinking like this, especially in the middle of a mission. Tested realized that he hadn't this problem before because he hadn't thought of a life beyond the Grand Army of the Republic. He didn't think he'd either survive, or retire. He didn't need to think about it when the war was going on, and he didn't need to think of it when they were ending the remains of the Separatists. Now, was a different story. He was training to become a Huntsmen because he was at his core, a soldier. He was trained to be a soldier, and was training more now, to be a warrior. But what did he really want to do now? Where did he actually want to stay? With _whom_ did he actually want to stay?

"Thank you very much!" Weiss said farewell to the owner of the dust shop that she and Ruby walked out of.

Tested broke his train of thought and went back to his task.

"What did you find?" Tested asked.

"The owner was present at the time of the protest," Weiss explained. "But he locked his doors and dimmed his windows, predicting an attack."

"He _predicted_?" Tested asked.

"It's not very hard to predict one when White Fang activity has gradually increased over the past three months," Weiss shrugged. "It has gotten pretty bad."

"That's the whole section of the scene we covered." Tested sighed. "And nobody saw anything?"

"Lots of the shops were closed," Ruby nodded her head. "No one was either here to see suspicious activity or didn't bother looking."

"Another dead end." Weiss grumbled. "This is the third place we have been through today, and we haven't done anything useful."

"Tested?" Ruby asked, noticing him focused elsewhere. "Is something wrong?"

"The protest was a parade," Tested stated slowly, shutting his eyes to picture the scene. "It was mobile. According to news, it turned into this street half a block back and marched up to this point, and was planned to make its way to the city center." Tested pointed at the crater in the road. "This is the point where the humanoid civilians started rebelling, and when the attack began. Scorch marks on the walls there and there indicate the combat positions taken by Atlesian soldiers, with civilians caught in the crossfire. Atlas special units came in and defused the situation shortly after."

"What are you getting at?" Weiss tilted her head.

"The White Fang are Faunus, and probably know of the protest route." Tested stated.

"And?"

"And civilians being caught in the crossfire between White Fang and Atlas soldiers mean that the Faunus and civilians were in front of them."

"So that means that the White Fang were at the back of the parade." Ruby began to understand.

"And because there is probably no way they could have joined the parade very long,"

"They must have entered the parade at the intersection where they turned onto this street." Weiss finished the thought.

"Precisely." Tested smiled.

"Well, that gives us more places to check out." Weiss sighed.

"C'mon Weiss," Ruby beckoned her to follow. "Let's go meet more people!"

"Excellent." Weiss groaned.

"I'll stay on the streets," Tested said. "See if there is anything else I can find."

-A-64 3rd Person POV-

A-64 found the street where Red had marked. Coincidentally, an Atlesian patrol was coming through. Two humans and four AK-200s marched through. A-64 wore cargo pants and windbreaker, accompanied by a toque and shades. He didn't really need to do much by tip his hat down to remain hidden, but he stepped back and ruffled his jacket to busy himself. For a Kingdom under something of martial law, A-64 was unimpressed by their ability to recognize faces.

After letting them pass by, he scanned the area. There weren't many civilians around, other than the occasional couple. He located the clone quick. He was standing around outside a shop, having a look around the area. He didn't appear to be looking for him or Red, but he was looking for something. His eye level towards the ground told him he may have been looking for clues or tracks. A flashing light drew 64's eyes to an alleyway the Clone was slowly heading to. Then A-64 saw the faint outline of Red in the shadows. He held a piece of broken mirror glass, and was signaling his comrade. 64 understood the plan.

As A-64 cross the street, he was watching the Clone intently, searching for bulks in the clothing. To an untrained eye, he would have just looked armored, but A-64 easily saw the concealed sidearm and carbine blaster on his back. He also seemed to have two metal rods attached to his shins. A-64 reached the other end of the street and started walking towards the Clone, hands in his pocket, head down. He had to time this properly. The Atlesian patrol had stopped at the end of the street, and humanoids were having a quick conversation, probably on their radios. He had to be swift and fast. His DC-15S clipped to his shoulder in the interior of his jacket would make too much noise, but he had tape.

The Clone was almost at the alley, just two more steps. A-64 picked up his pace. As soon as the Clone's head turned towards Red, A-64 body checked him into the alley, into the darkness. 64 was about to speak when the Clone turned around fast, _too fast_. The hard grained training flashed through the ARC trooper's mind without him even thinking.

 _Barrel. Gun. Weapon. Danger._

A-64 grabbed the barrel of the sidearm, pulling it towards and past him. He felt the heat of the shot discharge as he angled himself and sidekicked the Clone away. The Clone stumbled back into a waiting Red, who grabbed the Clone around the waist from the rear, picked him up, and fell backwards, body slamming him into the pavement. The Clone landed on his back, somersaulting backwards as a result of his momentum, and coming onto all fours. Before he could get up, 64 sprinted at him, left hand in a clenched fist, heat rising in his chest. He came low, then up, bringing his fist up into the Clone's jaw. A knockout punch. The Clone fell on his back, out cold.

"He's down." A-64 stated, letting the adrenaline in his system fade.

"And we're clear," Red added, coming back from the entrance to the alleyway. "Glad we didn't make too much noise. Did he hit you?"

"No, but he fired a shot though," A-64 replied, inspecting the DC-17B blaster pistol in his hand. "Attachable silencer on the barrel."

"Silencers?" Red scoffed. "Sounds like that Tech Officer's work. What was his name, _Designer_?"

"Can you ID the bogey?" A-64 pushed on, sliding the weapon in the back of his pants.

"One moment," Red said as he pulled his eyepiece out of his pocket.

All Clones had a identification chip inside their left wrist. It was something that could be used to access the said Clone trooper's military records and designation. One just needed to access it. Red had his eyepiece on and was staring right at the exact point. The fact that his head was completely still told 64 that Red was reading.

"CT-1747," Red read aloud. "Sergeant _Tested_. 501st Torrent Company."

"501st?" A-64 cocked an eyebrow. "I thought only the Third Systems Army was deployed? 501st was, and still is, on Coruscant."

"Not everyone," Red shook his head. "Says here that he and seven other members from TC were called back to command for a special mission. Due to HIGHCOM being shorthanded at the time, they sent eight 501st Clones, under the command of this guy, to go and locate the missing Shadow Troopers and 21st Nova Squad ARC troopers. Military records put him under KIA."

"Hmph, he's obviously not dead."

"Well, looking a little deeper, under the red tape, they were the last resort squad, and that the team would be placed under KIA if not heard from."

"Suicide mission, eh?" 64 shook his head. "Wonder where his team is, and why he is wearing Shadow armor."

"What do you reckon we do?"

"Comm Bane," 64 replied. "See if he can get a vehicle around. We'll follow mission parameters and evacuate a survivor."

"Then we can question him?"

"Debrief him." 64 corrected Red. "He's survived this long. Let's get him home."

-Jared 3rd Person POV-

Breaking bones was one thing. _This_ , was another. Jared had asked Yang to leave the room halfway through an interrogation for him to switch to more… sensitive methods. At least thirty three of the sixty eight men were now in emergency medical care, and it was about to be thirty four, once Jared finished with this one. The two hours spent with this last prisoner had been longer than the others. Jared knew this one was hiding something. He was a Sergeant, and he was not afraid to die. He was afraid of something though, and Jared knew what it was. The Clone was afraid of cracking.

"Let's now go from nineteen fingers, to twenty fingers!" Jared taunted, vibroblade in hand. "I'm just doing this for fun though. You're actual torture is getting punched in the face every time you don't answer a question."

The table was covered in blood. The Clone's hands had been strapped to the desk, each one, except for the last pinkie, had been split open cleanly, revealing the bone, muscle, and joints. He was in tears at this point. There was no crying, but other than the tight, wincing expression on his face, his eyes were misty and his cheeks were lined with water. His entire face was purple, bruised from Jared beating him.

"I am CT-7583, Sergeant in the Grand Army of the Republic, Third Systems Army, 212th Clone Battalion under the command of Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi," He whimpered with as much strength as he could muster. "That is all I am authorized to say."

"Wrong answer." Jared snarled as he secured the Clone's head and bashed his knuckle plate into his cheek over and over again. After the fifth time, he reeled back further, and planted it hard. A resounding crack of bone came from the punch, followed by a choking and gurgling sound from the Clone. Jared sat back down, noticing that he had broken the Sergeant's cheekbone, and the broken bone had penetrated the gums and flesh, emerging from a violet bruise, gushing blood. "What do you know about Republic Weaponry being distributed? Is this related to any of Commander Shash's contacts?"

The Sergeant struggled to speak, as he let blood flow from his mouth, before repeating, "I am CT-7583, Sergeant of the Grand Army of the-"

Jared slammed his fist into one of the Clone's mangled hands. Bones broke and tendons tore. The index, middle, and ring finger all lost their joints in the impact, and the meat went squish under Jared's gauntlet. The Clone didn't exactly scream, but shrieked, whimpering from the pain.

"There goes that hand," Jared snarled, then repeating the process on the next. "And there goes the other."

Jared was about to start beating again, but he noticed the Sergeant had stopped screaming. No whimpering, no grunts or any display of agony. He simply looked down at his hands that were no more, eyes wide with surprise. He looked slowly up at Jared, his pupils not focusing as if he were looking past Jared. Then he started trembling, sinking back into his chair, mouth and eyes still open.

"You still with me you piece of shit?" Jared shook him. "Huh? You there?"

The Clone's expression didn't change, and he was still shaking. Jared pressed two fingers under his jaw. He was alive, and by his stuttering breaths, he was breathing. Jared figured he must have inflicted unbelievable pain, because he realized he had put the Sergeant into shock. He slammed the table in fury, blood bouncing off and splattering over his forearm and chest plates. He walked over to the door, it opening in his proximity, the tapped the waiting guard on the shoulder.

"Call a med team," Jared grumbled. "He might need a trip to the ER room."

The guard nodded then put two fingers to his helmet where his ear would be, most likely contacting the command center. Jared strode past him, starting to feel the nausea. Jared had been interrogating with his helmet on, so the torturing had been faceless; not human for the Clones. In reality, Jared went pretty far this time, and his stomach felt turned upside down and twisted inside out from the experience. Worst of all, the stench of the blood, meat, and muscle was now coming through his filters. He clenched his throat, attempting to breath through his mouth and take deep breaths.

When he reached the waiting room, he found Yang, sitting at a table, leaning on one arm. She looked up at him when he entered, but he didn't bother saying nausea, it was coming back, stronger this time. Something was coming, flowing upstream.

Jared popped his helmet seal and yanked it off, not caring about it dropping to the ground. Then he reeled over end, grabbing the silver garbage can closest to the entrance, and jamming his head inside. Then he just let it out. Vomiting was not uncommon during torture. It always depended on how strong your stomach was. Jared just let it flow, emptying into the can, contracting his abdominal muscles to force the rest down. The orange-yellow liquid felt like warm chicken soup coming from his mouth and his nose as well. He probably vomited about seven times before he was done. At the end, he just started exhaling hard, spitting out any remaining waste in his mouth. Then he noticed Yang's hand was on his shoulder. He looked up to see her holding a tissue in one hand, covering her nose with the other. Jared accepted in, cleaning his nose and mouth.

"Ugh," Yang shuddered, both hands covering her nose now. "I don't know what smells worse. You or what came out of you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine too, thank you very much." Jared scoffed.

"I assume you probably want water." Yang stated. "I'll get you some. Did you find out anything though?"

"This guy knew something," Jared sighed in frustration. "I could see it in his eyes. I went a bit too far in pushing him to spill, though, and I put him into shock. He's headed to the Emergency Room now."

"Do you still plan on interrogating after your… _unexpected surprise_?" Yang asked. "I can handle the next one.

"There is no one left," Jared shook his head. "That was the last one I interrogated. Besides, if you saw what the last guy managed to endure to keep information safe, you'd see how far you'd probably have to go."

"A complete strikeout?" Yang placed her hands on her hips. "Perfect… I hope the others made more progress than we did."

"Let's hope so," Jared agreed. "Now where did Ironwood say the refreshers were?-"

Jared was cut off by the hissing as the door opened and the running of a guard. The guard stumbled and slowed down to a halt, using the frame of the doorway to stop him.

"Jared and Yang Xiao Long?" The guard was panting.

"Yes?" Jared asked.

"Ironwood wants you on his command airship, _now_." The guard stated firmly.

" _Now_?" Jared cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"What's the rush?" Yang added.

"We just received a distress signal from the guard detail posted at the Island housing the weapons cache from your world," The guard explained. "They're under attack!


	6. Chapter 5

-GT 3rd Person POV-

"This is where he disappeared, right?" GT asked over the comms.

Over the night GT and TJ had spent hours looking for Tested, rejecting help from Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha. GT was furious enough at Weiss and Ruby for having no clue where he went, and waiting an hour before reporting it. Jaune and Pyrrha were obviously not very experienced in this, but he expected more from Ruby and Weiss. The girls thought the problem wasn't severe and decided to use a whole hour to search around the block for Tested instead of calling in. By that time, the scene is no longer fresh and the trail isn't hot, making it a lot harder to find the Sergeant. Tested wasn't the man who would avoid his commlink or scroll. One of the most important tools of a soldier in a combat unit is a means of communication, whether it is with your comrades, or your Commander. They should have known something was wrong when he didn't respond.

GT was the team leader. He was responsible for every member of the team. Now it has only been one day and they were missing a man? That was just outright carelessness. GT was determined to find him, so determined that he didn't sleep all night, breaking into every shop onto that street and stealing any footage from any that had security cameras. The part that took longest was rendering the video and using video enhancement, which TJ was currently doing at the moment. GT on the other hand was at the scene. It was early in the morning, and the cold icy breeze was in the air. Good thing the body glove that all Clones wore under armor kept him warm.

"That's where the girls left him." TJ replied.

"Did you knit together the footage?" GT was referring to putting the relevant footage into a timeline.

"Yeah, just trying to do some more enhancement," TJ sounded irritated. "Damn these cameras are low quality."

"Give me a heading, TJ." GT said, standing outside the shop where Tested had been at the night.

"Northbound," TJ stated. "Up the street."

"Any leads on what he was following?"

"Well, if this stupid thing would finish rendering, yeah…"

"Nevermind," GT stopped him. "Found it."

Tested seemed to be following something that almost nobody would have seen if they didn't have a trained eye; dirt. Two things were wrong with that, one being that Atlas was mostly ice and snow, and that despite this being a more public area, it was uncommon to find dirt, especially it trailing away. GT followed the trail up the street until it stopped at an alleyway. GT looked down the dark alley. This was probably it. He scanned the area for any clues. Across the street, he noticed something different. It was a scorch mark, most likely from a blaster. Tested was carrying a silenced sidearm.

"TJ, track my location and see if you can find a camera angle," GT ordered. "I think I found out where Tested went missing. Possible shot fired, indicating a struggle. Can you confirm?"

"Hang on," TJ paused briefly. "Yes, shot confirmed. Looking around, I don't think anyone noticed it."

"Got a timeline?"

"Just finished rendering. It should be up on the database now."

GT pulled out his scroll and linked it to their database, pulling up the video TJ put together. It was enhanced to 480p, which was considerably better compared to the original 244p. There, GT saw the event. Tested tracked the trail, while an approaching man coming from the opposite direction of the camera angle body checked him into the alley. A shot discharged, and that was it. GT put his scroll away and stepped into the alleyway, closing his eyes to picture the scene. Tested's attacker body checked him into the alley. The shot discharge meant that Tested had most likely spun to open fire. It's not likely Tested would miss at that range, so his attacker must have deflected the gun away from him. The fist fight had to have been brief if no commotion was caused. The fact that the area didn't seem very disturbed also supported that theory.

"TJ, where does this alleyway lead to?" GT asked.

"A triple side street which leads to two different intersections." TJ replied.

"I'll scope the streets out and see if I can get any more street cam footage."

"Understood."

-Ranger 3rd Person POV-

"You sure it was a good idea to bring out the secret weapons?" A White Fang Lieutenant was screaming at Ranger over the rushing wind coming through the open doors of a bullhead dropship. He seemed to dress different than the others, having a sleeveless white uniform with two metal guards on his forearms. His mask was different as well, having it cover his whole face with additional markings. He was much larger than the others as well.

"As long as your Intel was accurate, the strategy will work!" Ranger yelled back. "Just make sure the recovery team does their job!"

"Are you sure about the plan? I can give you back up!"

"Negative!" Ranger shook his head. "No offense, but you'll only slow us down! Besides, Ripper and I got this! You ready Ripper?"

"I'm locked and loaded," Ripper ruffled his armor plates to make sure no extra ammunition was loose. "Just a little concerned about our source of Intel!"

"Target range, twelve hundred meters and closing!" The White Fang pilot called back to the cargo bay. "It doesn't matter whether we are jamming their scanners or not now. We are in visual range!"

"This is the last chance for us to pull out, so I ask," Ranger turned to the White Fang Lieutenant, speaking as clearly as possible. "You are positive about the troop movements and responses?"

"Yes," The Lieutenant responded confidentiality. "We have contacts that are stationed here!"

"Good!" Ranger took a deep breath, flicking the safety off on his WESTAR.

"Eight hundred meters!" The pilot called once more.

"Send the Larties!" Ranger cried.

As soon as Ranger called the command, two LAATs manned by White Fang zoomed past the formation of sixteen bullhead Dropships, heading straight for the nearest Atlas Cruiser moving to defensive position. Ranger could see the awkward and sleek, spiky profile of the Airships against the dawn. The sun was going to come up any minute now, and they would lose their advantage of minimal visibility. The LAATs moved in the correct formation Ranger had ordered. It had taken them hours to even get the hang of piloting such sophisticated aircraft, but ultimately, it was worth it. The gunships fired; two missiles each, streaking from their top mounted launchers towards the Atlesian Airship. It was a perfect Salvo of shots, all impacting on the lower hull with one missile turning the bridge into smoldering metal. The ship eased off course, then began to drift into the ocean.

"Incoming fighters!" A soldier screamed.

"Keep them off us and protect the gunships, just as planned!" Ranger stated. "Let them knock down the other two airships, then you can mop up the fighters! Pilot, get us on the ground!"

The unexpected destruction of one of their cruisers clearly caught the Atlas troops flat footed. They began to shift and maneuver into a tighter formation in an attempt to shield the island. Ranger began to count in his head for how long it would take for their laser batteries to charge.

"Cover the landing team!" The White Fang Lieutenant barked at his radio.

The LAATs whirled around, avoiding a trio of Atlas fighters, then began firing their forward laser cannons, shredding the hull of the cruisers. Small explosions protruded off the impact points, tearing and melting armor and metal away. The Airships veered off in evasive action, leaving the opening for Ranger's ship.

"Drop team! Go go go!" The pilot yelled as the dropship came ten meters above the water.

Ranger and Ripper didn't argue. You never want to argue with a pilot. The ARCs hopped off. The ARC Captain landed knee deep in the water, raising his WESTAR and fanning the shoreline as he and Ripper sloshed through onto the sand. Ranger recalled the map into his head, remembering the first location of the Atlas strategic point to take out. Ranger led the way, Ripper drawing his DP23 and following the Captain through the brush. A small clearing began to show, revealing a small work station for Atlas soldiers. Ranger extended the stock on his WESTAR, flicking his setting to automatic, then started spraying. He didn't waste any time, eyeing down his scope, putting every hostile he saw in front of the cross hairs. They didn't even react.

As the ARCs ran past the station, Ranger noticed another airship bank to the side, then get whammed by another volley of missiles. The ship almost tipped belly up before crashing into the ocean.

"Eight more listening posts," Ripper stated. "Then we can let the animals hit the dirt for the weapons depot."

"We'll pick up a Plex on the way," Ranger added. "It'll help us against the main outpost."

"Sounds like Viper's speciality."

"I can use a rocket launcher quite as well myself," Ranger shot back. "Flank left for the next post. They'll know we're coming. Get them by surprise."

"Copy that."

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

Bane was an expert in espionage and assassination, despite not liking the job. He always found himself liking the mix of either performing asset denial on Separatist Droid Factories, research stations, and Insurrectionist supply posts, or fighting front lines and softening targets on the battlefield. Both sides of the jobs were something that made him feel special, that he made a difference in the Grand Army of the Republic. Whether he was that one soldier sent to destroy or capture an enemy resource, or being that tipping point on the battlefield to pave the way for a Republic Victory, it was something that only a select few would be allowed to do.

But today his job was assassination. His target was a Schnee Dust Company official. Apparently the company had not been the most honest and forward with the nature of their deals and operations. Some of those deals ended up happening with one of Torchwick's business partners. The man in the black suit. Money was owed to him, and he wanted an example. He also seemed to be more familiar with Shash, almost to the extent of Torchwick. He had loaned a lot more than several of his bodyguards to one of the Nova ARCs, Kill, as his own private army to manage operations in Atlas. Considering he was the best way to get in and out of Vale repeatedly and discreetly, Bane was eager to please him.

Besides, this was so easy. Security was more in bulk rather than in tactical positions. Bane's target was expected to arrive at this landing pad and board an airship. Six Atlas soldiers were guarding the pad; standing on each corner, while another two stood next to the boarding ramp of the dropship.

As expected, Bane's target arrived. Exiting the limousine, he was accompanied by two Atlesian Knights, escorting him to the ramp of the dropship.

"Let's get under way already!" The man bellowed. He wore a simple white suit and a dark blue dress shirts with a black tie. His hair was mainly black, but was beginning to grey at the sides. Obviously, he was in a hurry, making no haste to board the ship.

Now, one would have thought to guard the landing platform to make sure there wasn't going to be an assassination by the White Fang, or any Republic Soldiers wanting to cause some damage, but that wasn't Bane's plan. There were no building high enough in the area for a clean shot at the man, so sniping wasn't an option. On top of that, Torchwick didn't want too much of a mess, and wanted a profit out of this mission. Bane leaned and pressed himself against the side of the doorway that led to the cargo bay. Just behind the wall, he heard his target taking a seat. Bane was on the dropship, forced to squish himself to avoid being spotted alongside an eager-to-tag-along Roman Torchwick. Atlas shouldn't have been putting more security at this landing pad, but rather, the main landing strip for the rest of three fighters. Bane looked up at the pilots, nodding at them to take off. If one was close enough, one could see the fatal, black blaster marks that penetrated the armor and delivered killing blows to the previous wearers. The young Faunus looked rather uncomfortable, one with antlers having trouble fitting her horns under the helmet. As the pilots took off, communicating with the air traffic controller for authorization, Bane did his best to listen into the cargo bay. Over the loud, rumbling engines, he heard the grumbling of the man as he complained about something stupid, alongside a few more voices, sounding more loyal or comforting.

"I hear two more on board," Bane whispered to Torchwick. "Two soldiers tagged along."

"Well, I guess we could do with two more sets of Atlas armor," Torchwick shrugged. "Just don't go with the blaster marks."

"Copy that."

Bane whipped around the doorway, DC-17B sidearm in hand, expertly aiming the pistol from his hip. With a double squeeze, two bolts flew right into the unarmored throats of the Atlas soldiers', just below the helmet. They had only just turned around by the time they stopped breathing. The man flinched, looking up at Bane in pure horror.

"Who are you?" He stammered. "What do you want?"

Bane raised the sidearm and put a shot through the center of his skull, then two in his chest, letting the body fall into its harness. It gave the effect of the man taking a nap, and would be hard to notice if someone did not take a harder look. Bane's sidearm was also switched to a low power setting to reduce penetration. Shots only left scorch marks at the back of his white suit. _Easy kill_.

Bane holstered the weapon, calling back to Roman, "It's done."

Roman peeked from the doorway, more satisfied than impressed. "Terrific. I'll add this to my list of stolen Atlesian Dropships."

"I was thinking that we get the chance to use these in Vale," Bane said. "It would be easy to sneak past Atlas defenses currently in the area."

"Oh you can go snag a few VTOLs in your own time, but I'm taking this one." Roman knocked on the metal wall. "Rezla tells me you have a captive."

"A survivor," Bane corrected. "I sent Spade to bring him back to Coruscant. Hopefully we can round up others."

"So what do you think you are going to do now?"

"I have my way into Vale now," Bane said. "I might send one of us back every now and then. I'll give you a list of our current safe houses and assets as well."

"Actually," Roman stopped him. "Assuming your island mission is successful, I was wondering if you could secure schematics from your targets."

"Schematics?" Bane asked, not turning around.

"Well, more of a formula. Something that only they have."

Now Bane was interested. "What formula?"

"Earlier when Shash was here, he began to test a possible combination of weaponry," Torchwick explained. "He began to combine Dust with your world's Tibanna gas rounds. Due to Dust being our only mineral source for energy, power and weapons, it has never been exposed to anything like your world. With Shash's well placed sources, he managed to synthesis a mixture of Dust and Tibanna, creating ammunition and firepower so powerful and swift, that it could penetrate harder and faster than anything we have in our arsenal. However, due to the substance being volatile, dangerous, and only usable for Republic weaponry, Shash had to test it to find the correct dosage and compensation to prevent the firing mechanism from blowing up or having the weapon degrade itself. Shadow and his team took this formula, applying it to their weapons."

"And what of Shash?"

"The SBH lit the research station up, and Shash lost all the data," Roman paused. "We still have some of the Tibanna-Dust mixed ammunition, but you would only be able to use the weapon for about fifteen to twenty shots before it degraded below an optimal standard." Roman allowed himself a chuckle. "Imagine if I had access to a small arms fire power like that."

 _Sounds like something useful to bring back to Coruscant_.

"I'll add that to my To-do list, Mr. Torchwick." Bane nodded.

"Excellent."

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

"For something that sounded cool in the beginning has officially turned _boring_!" Nora laid down in Shadow's bed.

"Well clearly you don't know how to do delicate work," Shadow said from his desk, "Off my bed please."

The group was in Shadow's dorm, going over what intelligence they received. Shadow had been on his laptop, organizing files and preparing for their plan.

"To be fair, this has been much more uneventful that what was explained to us originally." Ren piped in.

"Well, what did you expect? A bumbling adventure?"

"Something more exciting!" Nora sat upright, extending her arms out like a star.

"Covert missions like this take time and caution," Shadow explained. "We have to be careful, we have to be thorough, and we have to be certain."

"Easy for you to say!" Nora placed her hands on her hips. "You at least got to break in somewhere. Ren and I patrolled the streets and didn't even get to bust one guy!"

"Well, that would be a good thing." Shadow shot back. "If you two were thorough enough, that means that the amount of Republic weapons on the streets is not as high yet."

"Could be worse," Blake shrugged, leaning on the edge of the desk beside Shadow. Her arms were folded and her eyes were closed. "We could be hitting dead ends repeatedly."

"That would definitely be worse." Shadow nodded. "Alright. So far we only have one lead in Vale at the moment, as it seems that only the larger and more organized gangs have access to Republic weaponry. We also know that Junior has been contacted about making a purchase, and that this seller, _Rezla_ , is working with Roman Torchwick and the White Fang." Shadow sighed in frustration before continuing. "However, we do not know how many of the larger gangs have the Republic Arsenal, how much they have, and where they keep it. We also don't know where Torchwick and the White Fang are operating, and who this Rezla guy is. I've searched him up in the Vale person database, and nothing has popped up."

"Does that put us at a dead end?" Nora asked.

"No," Shadow looked at her in disappointment. "I said we have one lead; Junior."

"You lost me." Nora's expression blanked out.

Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Junior said that Rezla contacts him when asking for a purchase," Shadow explained. "Rezla is the one who makes contact. The fact that he actually calls Junior can give us a direct link to where he is."

"What are you thinking?" Blake looked at Shadow.

"I want to trace the call," Shadow stated. "While I admit that I admire Designer's programs, this particular one can trace a call through two sources, making it perfect for the CCT system. I need to modify it though, because Des didn't code it to make it block a retrace."

"So, run the program when Junior gets the call and we find him?"

"Basically, yeah."

"That sounds complicated," Ren added. "Complicated enough to go wrong."

"In the event that it does, we have two more angles to work at," Shadow pointed out. "Because most of the weapon problems seem to be happening in Atlas, I can ask GT to search up Rezla in their database, or even ask Ironwood to get some info from him. There is also the fact about how the weapons are being shipped here into the city. Pathways, contacts, buyers; anything can give us clues to the source. This will require a lot more effort on the street though."

Nora fell flat back on the bed from her seated position, making the longest, most unsatisfied and annoying groan Shadow had heard in a long time. Blake seemed to look up in surprise, but Ren seemed to be used to this, simply standing next to doorway.

"For now, you guys can take a break," Shadow continued. "I'll make the necessary preparations and contact GT. We should get a call from Jared later today."

"C'mon Ren, let's go to the city!" Nora quickly rushed to the door, grabbing her partner on the way. "I need to be entertained."

"You can go do something if you'd like," Shadow looked at Blake. "I might be here a while."

"Well, Zwei is sleeping in our room, so I'd rather not." Blake stated, mentioning Yang and Ruby's pet Corgi.

"Oh right," Shadow chuckled. "Cats and dogs don't get along."

Blake rolled her eyes and looked at the ground. "What are you doing right now?"

"Well, I gotta finish coding the shielding on the program so it can't be traced back to us, but I'm calling the Atlas team right now."

"Don't you need to make a call through the library or the CCT?"

"Yeah," Shadow replied. "I can patch my laptop into the signals."

"Really?"

"Hey, if I can pick up Atlesian Military radio transmissions, then I can pick up the CCT signal."

Blake simply just smiled. Shadow returned the expression and started the call, making sure to turn on his camera as he did so. After a few steady rings, the call went through, the screen flashing a Webcam view of TJ. The Shadow Trooper sat behind the computer screen, seeming to be multitasking. TJ must have been managing the teams from their hide out.

"Vale-Actual to Atlas team," Shadow spoke. "Are we a go for secure?"

"Affirmative," TJ said after a short pause. "Link is secure."

"Status over there?' Shadow asked.

"A bit hectic, honestly," TJ replied. "You?"

"Pretty stale," Shadow said. "We have two leads to follow, but we might need to send one to you."

"What are you planning?"

"A potential sting or trailing operation," Shadow explained. "We may have a link to our arms dealer, and we know they are connected to Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. While we do that, there is someone I want you to look up."

"Who is it?"

"A man named Rezla." Shadow stated. "He is believed to be the central arms dealer. I've searched him and cross referenced him through the Vale person database with no hits. Perhaps you will have better luck."

"I'll run him through the Atlas person database," TJ nodded. "See who we come up with."

"What is the story over there?" Shadow asked.

"Tag teams RWBY and JNPR are currently out on patrol following prior terrorist and street gang level leads," TJ replied. "We'll also be looking at locations from previous events encounters, or operations from the 21st Nova Squad."

"Where is GT?"

TJ seemed to freeze when Shadow asked that question. His current blank expression with eyes darting back and forth between monitors, turned to one of grim, serious tone.

"Shadow-Actual is currently tracking down leads to the whereabouts of Shadow-Three, who has been MIA since last night." TJ answered.

"MIA?" Shadow almost gasped. "What happened?"

"What is MIA?" Blake asked.

"M-I-A," Shadow explained. "It stands for _Missing-In-Action_."

"Tested is missing?"

"Since last night, yes." TJ confirmed. "It happened during a patrol last night. He was assigned with tag team Ruby and Weiss to investigate the scene of the recent White Fang bombing and shooting near the market areas. Ruby and Weiss left him alone for a short bit, and Tested seemed to be following a trail that led nearby, where he was ambushed by an unknown number of contacts. GT reports that Tested put up a fight, but it did not last long."

"So where is GT in finding Tested right now?"

"Hitting a lot of dead ends," TJ sighed. "It's really weighing on him. He took it pretty hard on the girls."

"Give him some space." Shadow stated.

"Shadow, I'm his twin brother," TJ pointed out. "I know him better than anyone. But is there any news from Jared?"

"Jared was supposed to be back by this morning," Shadow scratched his head. "He might have been delayed. If he has, then he'll probably contact me soon."

"You think he can get some information from a bunch of battle hardened Veterans of the Clone Wars?"

"Definitely."

"Sounds like he has the hard job." TJ shuddered a bit. "Killing is easy. Torture is a different story."

"Yeah, well, keep me posted on Tested," Shadow said. "I'll contact you later today."

"Copy that," TJ nodded. "Atlas team, out."

"So what now?" Blake asked as the frame cut out. "Patrol?"

"I'm going to stop by Junior's club to plant the program, then we can hit the streets for the rest of the day," Shadow explained. "But the night," Shadow rolled his chair closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I was thinking we go somewhere. Quick dinner?"

"You think it's a good idea to be having a date during this?" Blake placed her hands on Shadow's arms.

"This mission is going to take a while," Shadow shrugged. "Best to take advantage of free time while we know it's available. Tomorrow it may not be."

"How many times have you done these type of missions?"

"Countless times. I know very well from first hand experience."

Blake was in the process of leaning into a kiss when Shadow's computer screen started flashing red, accompanied by an alarm. Shadow turned to read the alert on the screen.

"What is that?" Blake asked.

"It's an alert," Shadow replied as he clicked the alert. "An emergency alert on our SBH database."

"What is the emergency?"

Shadow followed the shortcut to a message, reading it intently. His heart dropped, and he felt heat and anger in his chest.

"Call Ren and Nora, now." Shadow ordered grimly.

"Why?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"It's an SOS from Jared," Shadow explained. "The island: the one that Shash used for his main base of operations; the one Atlas is using to lock down the Republic Arsenal from the invading Clone Troopers."

Shadow paused to type in the acknowledgement command. "They're under attack."

-Jared 3rd Person POV-

As soon as Ironwood's ship arrived, Jared and Yang were on the first dropship deployed. Jared went to the cockpit to see the situation. Two Atlas Airships were down, nose first into the ocean, their spiky engine supports sticking out of the water like grass from the river. The remaining one had deployed fighters though, and had taken heavy damage. Its starboard hull had been blown apart, revealing parts of the metal framework. Some hallways were even visible. It was still putting up an offensive, firing its laser batteries at arrays of bullhead Dropships.

"What's the status?" Jared asked the pilot as he checked over his Deece.

"Our fighter teams are getting shot down, and we're down two command ships," The pilot stated. "I'm getting reports from the ground that the armories are being hit."

"The White Fang doesn't have the Arsenal to do that," Jared shook his head. "What are the bullhead Dropships doing?"

"Other then three that are providing some air cover, they all appear to be landing at the main weapons depot."

"So what is taking out our-"

 _BOOM!_

Jared's question was answered by the rumbling sound of two LAATs zooming past the remaining Command airship, missiles streaking towards the bow. The airship tilted slightly from the blow, then rotated, trying to line up its targeting array. The dual laser batteries missed their targets as the gunships whirled and sped away. Jared switched his commlink to sync with Atlas communications.

"General Ironwood, launch your fighters," He said. "Focus on the main hostile attacking aircraft."

"I just got a report that the main weapons vault; the one containing your weaponry, is being robbed." Ironwood stated. "We'll take care of the skies. Get on the ground."

"Incoming!" The copilot yelled.

Jared looked up and saw and LAAT coming straight at them, laser cannons firing away. The ship banked right, avoiding most of the shots, but the side mounted beam cannon fired a constant stream as the ships passed each other. The dropship rumbled and sparks washed over the windshield. The cabin changed to a crimson red, and an alarm started sounding.

"Somehow I don't think reaching the ground will be a problem…" Jared muttered.

"Port side wing and engine are both gone!" The pilot cried. "We're going down!"

"Just get us as close as you can to the combat!" Jared barked, then fumbled towards the cargo bay, holding onto anything as the frame of the ship shuddered with agony. "Yang! Hang on!" he called back to her.

Jared looked back at the cockpit window, seeing the ground get closer and closer. Finally, the pilot pulled up last second. Jared leaped at one of the seats, forcing himself onto it and wrapping one of the belts around his wrist, holding on as tight as he could.

How much they shook, how hard they hit the ground, and how much it hurt was something Jared could not recall. All he could remember is that he assisted Yang out and was fanning the area with his DC-17M. Finally he came to his senses, satisfied that the area was clear.

"Yang, are you alright?" Jared helped her up. Jared guessed she used her Aura to heal herself because she didn't appear to have any wounds.

"I'm fine." Yang rubbed her head.

Jared; satisfied that Yang was in one piece, went over into the Dropship that was crashed into the dirt and grass at a slight angle. All the Atlesian Knight androids were destroyed in the crash, either in several pieces or banged up beyond optimal use. The pilots were easy to spot. The main pilot's lower body was crushed between his seat and the nose of the dropship that had dented inward, pulverizing his abdomen. The amount of force that hit him in the gut probably killed him instantly. The copilot was hanging off his seat with a crushed half-helmet on. Blood was pouring from his mouth down to the deck below him. Both pilots were dead.

"Let's go," Jared motioned Yang away before she could investigate the dropship remains. "We're just under one hundred meters away from the conflict."

Jared led Yang out of the clearing they had landed in and into the thick brush. They weren't that far off, and within less than a minute, reached the main fight. Jared saw it; Shash's old base of operations, under attack. It was another dash to the complex, arriving from the south west. The main conflict was happening on the north side; the front of the complex. There, Jared and Yang found multiple Atlas soldiers in firing positions in dug out trenches or using nearby shacks and structures as cover. Atlesian Androids stood in small squadrons, relatively in the open, firing at anything they saw. Jared went up to the nearest Soldier, who was crouched behind a small hill that his squad was using to prone.

"What's the situation?" Jared boosted his helmet speakers to be heard over the salvos of gunfire from the Atlas solders.

"All other island defence posts aren't reporting in!" The soldier replied. "Barracks, anti air defence, radar station, communications post; nothing from them!"

Three back-to-back grunts made Jared bring his head lower. He turned to the conflict, seeing three of the soldiers with smoking holes through their helmets, face planted into the dirt. Jared looked up, just over the short hill, seeing barely anything but the outline of the clear cut stumps, and the clouds of dirt kicked up by gunfire. Jared ducked once more as a spray of blue bolts came through. Two more Atlas soldiers died.

"Knock it down!" One of the Sergeants barked as one of the platoons in the trenches popped up and started spraying in the direction of the shots. Jared as well aimed his Deece and let off short bursts.

"I think it's down!" A soldier stated, answered by another volley of blue bolts. Six more soldiers dropped.

"Motherfucker!" Another soldier growled, and the rest opened fire once more.

The stream of fire didn't even stop. More and more soldiers began to fall. Shots seemed to come from everywhere. No matter how much they returned fire, there was always another array of shots coming at them.

"Yang, stay down!" Jared forced Yang to all fours as twelve more soldiers died.

He slapped a fresh magazine in his DC-17M. Jared tried to estimate the numbers. There were about a standard Republic Troop worth of Atlesian soldiers left. All the androids were down, torn apart by blaster fire. Jared knew they were under attack by a combination of White Fang and Republic Forces, but this was ridiculous. There is no way that there were that many Clone Troopers had escaped the battle with. There was no way White Fang were that coordinated either. Sure, they carried Republic weaponry, but they did not have the training. Shadow had been hunting the remains of the Third Systems Army Regiment, and taking into consideration that there were probably far less than a hundred Clones left roaming free, how could this attack be possible?

All of a sudden, on the trenches to the right, more soldiers started dying rapidly. A combination of screams mixed with the familiar sound of a DP23 shotgun only meant one thing to Jared.

"Ambush!" Jared cried, spraying at the direction of the shots.

The warning was futile. All eight of the soldiers in the trench were hosed down by eight round sprays.

"Grenade!" A soldier cried.

Jared looked to his left, seeing several thermal detonators bounce in the dirt.

"Down!" Jared yelled as he picked Yang up by the waist and sprang away as hard as he could. The force of the blast knocked him off his feet. He slid into the dirt on his side.

Yang began firing dust rounds from her Ember Cecilias as Jared found his rifle. Jared found the Deece, now ducking once more as the same spraying came from the front. More and more soldiers fell as they tried to get up. At one moment, something caught Jared's eye on the right. A shimmer of white in the cloud of dust. It was definitely not friendly. Jared leveled his Deece and started spraying. The figure ducked, drawing two weapons from his sides. As soon as Jared's ammo counter read empty, he lobbed his grenade and dived away. The figure fired, shots following Jared all the way to the next wall of cover. That was not a Republic issued weapon. The bolts were yellow, and the sound was way off. Jared distinctly remembered it being the sound of a SMG used by a group of military organized Trandoshans. He didn't have time to think about it now. Jared shoved his last sixty round magazine into his Deece, preparing to pop out of cover and wash down anything within range.

"Jared!" Yang screamed a few meters further back from Jared. "Move!"

Jared realized why, hearing metal impacting on the wall, sticking onto it. The sound was all too familiar. Jared held his breath and ran, activating his semblance. The wall began its explosion after Jared took two steps. Jared looked back, seeing the fire and debris trying to catch up with him. When he looked forward, he almost lost it, ducking under a round from Yang's Ember Cecilia. He had to dodge a few more. He looked back, then realized why Yang had been firing at him. Each shot had hit a piece of debris, blowing it apart and sending it in another direction. Then Jared couldn't hold it any longer. He exhaled. A shockwave put him into a short stumble. Yang was still firing, grunting as she did so. Jared looked around as he pulled Yang back to the other soldiers. The spraying of blue bolts was still oncoming. There were nine- now seven Atlas soldiers left, returning fire from their dust rifles.

"This is as far as we can fall back!" The closest soldier stated. "The building behind us is holding everything!"

It was the main command center they had used to store the weapons. No doubt; there was a lot. Jared was about to tell them to hold their ground, but then shots started coming from the sky; hard. Dirt started jumping from the ground in lines, flying past Jared and the soldiers. Jared looked up, seeing at least ten White Fang Bullhead Dropships striking the area, most likely to clear a landing site. After three more soldiers fell to the dust bolts and the spray of tibanna rounds, Jared ordered the retreat.

"That's it!" Jared growled. "Pull out! Everyone fall back!"

With the command, the soldiers began moving, Jared pulling up the rear to return fire at the blue and yellow strobes flaring through the dust. The bullhead dropships were merciless as they began their landing sequence, strafing the entire clear cut forest that the group retreated through. Jared started yelling at everyone to get down once two soldiers died. Jared skidded to a stump and put his back to it. His last magazine for the assault mode of his DC-17M was a little less than half spent. They were barely two thirds of the way past the one hundred meter clearing when they had stopped; not optimum range for the assault mode. Jared switched out for his sniper attachment. He only had one magazine; each magazine had five shots. Waiting for shots to stop flying over his head, he activated the holographic scope, snapped the stock back, and rolled over to a prone position, staying on the 2x zoom setting.

It wasn't hard to figure out what the White Fang were doing. Squads upon squads of them were unarmed, running back and forth between the weapons fault and their Dropships. Jared estimated them forty, maybe fifty strong, but they were all unarmed. Of course, Jared couldn't really see them. All he saw were their shapes through the dust; their Faunus features made their identity obvious. But then he saw a lighter coloured target. It was bulky, armored, and most likely a Clone. He was armed. Jared quickly lined his scope up, switching to the 5x setting. He breathed three times, then exhaled, steadying himself, his finger moving closer to the trigger.

 _BLAM!_

The shot rang loud and clear, but the figure dropped to a crouch position, just a millisecond before Jared pulled the trigger. Jared lined up the shot and fired again, only to whip past the Clone's shoulder. Jared was starting to take aim again when blue bolts started hitting the ground around him. Strobes of blue light came from the center of the Clone. He was firing. Jared pulled the trigger, this time in panic, missing his target by a foot. He didn't get the chance to fire again, as a bolt struck his weapon. The holographic scope began to spark, and the weapon didn't respond anymore. Jared felt the heat of a shot pass by his cheek; even behind his helmet, as he rolled back into cover. The spraying still didn't stop. Jared heard the rapid _B-DOW B-DOW B-DOW_ over and over again, hearing shots impacting off the stump, or whizzing past his head. Jared gasped in pain as a shot struck his right leg; it was exposed from the mid shin down. Another shot struck the side of his thigh and he cussed, squeezing himself to fit behind the trunk properly.

Then the firing stopped. The sound of the Dropship engines began to grow louder, then came to its loudest, before transforming into a fading rumble. Jared allowed himself to peek out of cover, only to see the array of Dropships retreating, the _chunker-chunker chunker_ of the LAATs not far behind. Jared looked further in the sky, seeing Ironwood's airship, damaged from the conflict. Fire and smoke trailed from the rear section. The other remaining ship was nowhere in sight and was probably blown out of the sky.

"General Ironwood to all points," Ironwood's voice came up on the Atlesian Military radio link. "The enemy is in retreat. More Atlas reinforcements should be arriving within the hour. Good work men."

"General," Jared winced as he inspected his wounds and spoke over the radio. "We're going to need medical teams down here. Frankly, it looks like there were a lot of casualties, but some of us are still alive but wounded."

"Understood," Ironwood replied. "The teams will be down there shortly. Just mark your position."

-Ruby 3rd Person POV-

Ruby and Weiss were on the low value area of Atlas. Beyond the walls from that area was just ice. It was particularly colder today though, the weather forcing Ruby to sling her cloak over her shoulders and form around her body. With her hood off, she looked like a head floating on a red bulk of fabric.

"I didn't think it was that cold here.' Ruby rubbed her arms.

"Yang said you held off a pack of Beowolves on your own in the cold." Weiss replied.

"It doesn't get _this_ cold in Patch." Ruby stated.

"That's why you come prepared," Weiss said, noting her big, white, puffy jacket. "This is just a little bit colder than normal here."

"Oh, well, I see what temperature it took to cook your personality." Ruby giggled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Shadow two to Red and White," TJ's voice came from the small earpiece in Ruby's ear. "Come in."

"Reading you loud and clear," Ruby reached under her shoulder length hair to activate her mic.

"Report."

"We are at the place that Weiss said is the _sketchy_ side of the city," Ruby stated. "It appears that most people decided to stay indoors today. Streets are empty."

"Take a few rounds around the area," TJ ordered. "If you question any suspicious activity, don't ignore it."

"Got it," Ruby rocked on her heels. "Any word on the others?"

"Pyrrha and Jaune just got back from the southernmost district of the city," TJ replied. "It was the area where Shadow and Tested's team escaped Atlas, leaving a lot of damage behind. They haven't spotted anything out of the ordinary."

"How about GT?"

" _Shadow Actual_ is following a possible trail to Shadow three," TJ paused. "If you are wondering, yes, he's still upset."

Ruby sighed, and sensed Weiss silently did the same. They felt bad. Last night had started out fun, but ended up in a train wreck. They lost Tested. They somehow _misplaced_ a highly trained soldier. Naturally, Weiss and Ruby decided to spend an hour around the block, just in case he may have just wandered a short distance. That just made their situation worse. Ruby had never really seen or imagined GT getting mad. He was always such a playful character, always the more laid back between he and his brother. It is going to be hard to forget the screaming from last night. His chill and friendly nature was transformed into the strictest military officer. Ruby actually did feel bad; she felt responsible.

"Hey, don't let him tear you up," TJ said, seeming to sense Ruby's thoughts. "GT takes responsibility of the team to heart, much like Shadow. He and I didn't always roll with Shadow and Jared. We did have our own squads at one point. It's stressful being a leader. How would you feel if you lost one of your team members?"

"Well, I can relate," Ruby tilted her head and stared at the ground. "Not to that extent though."

"Best thing you can do right now is your job." TJ stated. "Report back here once you have completed your rounds. Over and out."

"Well," Ruby sighed. "Know any suspicious gangs that hang out here?"

"Oh," Weiss shifted onto one heel. "I actually wouldn't be caught dead here. I've never even been here before."

"Didn't you live here your whole life?" Ruby cocked an eyebrow.

"Do I strike you as someone who would have come to a place like this?"

Ruby was about to shoot back a smart remark when she saw movement behind Weiss, far at the other end of the street. It was a man with a completely black suit and shades. He poked his head out of an alleyway, only to check to see if the street was clear, then ceded back.

"What is it?" Weiss realized that Ruby had seen something.

"I feel like I've seen someone dressed like that before…" Ruby answered, walking past Weiss.

"Where?"

"Remember when we first found Shadow and first met Tested at the docks?" Ruby recalled. "The Nova trooper who was after them didn't come alone. C'mon." Ruby motioned Weiss forward.

The two made their way to the alley. Ruby peeked around the corner, slowly, seeing the alley lead into another series of paths. It would have been impossible to make the decision of where to go if Weiss hadn't heard talking. The two followed the noise, leading up to a small opening. Weiss and Ruby stayed at the corner, trying to use the shadow of the building on their backs to mask them. The two exchanged glances as they saw a group of gangsters with a street gang. It was obvious which one was the street gang, as they had matching white leather jackets they carried dust pistols tucked in the back of their jeans and short swords holstered to their right thighs. The gangsters on the other hand wore completely black suits, had some weaponry that seemed awfully familiar to the weapons used by Clone Troopers. Two of them had a smaller compact rifles, and the rest had sidearms similar to what the SBH used. Ruby struggled to listen, starting to feel snowflakes fall from the sky, melting on her rosy cheeks, but she kept her silver eyes on the meeting.

"You're asking a lot for that much lien," The lead street gang member snorted.

"This isn't some small tech or cash deal from Shash. This is _Bane_."

"A name don't mean nothing."

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of the guy yet."

"Talk prices," The gang member folded his arms. "Not rep."

" _Bane_?" Ruby whispered to Weiss.

"I've never heard of him." Weiss shrugged. "But they mentioned Shash."

Ruby turned back to the meeting, continuing to listen.

"That's the only price for weapons such as these," The lead man of the black suits shrugged. "You aren't going to find something handheld of this magnitude anywhere else. We are the only seller."

"I doubt that many other groups purchase with a price that high."

"Actually, you should consider watching the news more," The lead man in a black suit straightened his tie. "A new age of warfare is on the streets now, and even that terrorist group of Faunus are buying into it. When it takes off the ground, do you want to be the ones left behind?"

"I'll take it for half your price." The gang member crossed his arms.

The gangster scoffed, then reached back into a crate behind him. He pulled out a rifle. Ruby tried to recall the name of the weapon, as Tested had informed her more than once.

"Large but powerful rifle," The gangster showed the weapon off. "The DC-15A is stronger than almost all forms of handheld dust weaponry. It can penetrate all forms of Atlas armor, and can even penetrate ship hull at full charge. With an attachable scope and a bipod, the maximum range on this is ten kilometers."

"What ammunition?" The gang member asked. "It's obviously not dust."

"Something not from Remnant," The gangster replied. "A fuel is ignited and transformed into plasma, then compressed into a thin bolt that is electromagnetically accelerated out the barrel faster than most, if not all dust weapons. I could leave a meter wide hole in a reinforced brick wall with this. Try that against your dust rifles."

"Sounds interesting…" The gang member scratched his head.

"Once again," The gangster explained. "Five cases; three with ten rifles each, two with thirty stacks of five hundred round magazines. The cost is fifty thousand lien. Take it or leave it."

"Yeah…" The gang member bit his tongue and nodded. "Okay."

Ruby and Weiss backed a bit further away from the meeting, still maintaining a visual.

"We have to call the others," Ruby whispered. "Let's go."

"Ruby wait-"

Ruby didn't heed Weiss's warning, her boot landing on something round. She wasn't ready for it, and it slipped, sending her leg up and and landing her on her back. If that _thump_ wasn't obvious, she didn't know what was. Ruby got to her feet as soon as she could, rubbing the back of her head from the impact. When she looked up, she wasn't surprised to see everyone at the meeting looking at her.

"Great!" Weiss scoffed.

"Spies!" The man in the black suit called out. "No witnesses!"

"So much for stealth," Ruby reached for Crescent Rose.

"Ruby, move!" Weiss cried as the men in black leveled their weapons.

Ruby used her semblance, speeding away from the open, blue bolts missing their target. Crescent Rose came into her hand as she maneuvered the weapon around her body, shifting it from its rectangular case mode into the Scythe.

"Huntresses!" A gang member growled. "Take them down!"

Ruby sped left, then right towards the group, evading the shots. She lunged forward, sliding on her knees, letting the bolts fly over her, then swung Crescent Rose around, using the momentum to bring herself up and into a spin. Her blade found the barrel of a weapon and sliced it in half. She continued the spin and landed the butt of her blade into the user's face, sending him spinning into the ground. Just before the others took aim, Ruby fired Crescent Rose in the opposite direction, spinning to the right as she swung the weapon in her left hand under two of the shooters, sending them up and down into the pavement. Ruby was about to speed away until Weiss landed in front of her, stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground. A wall of ice came protruded from the concrete a foot in front of them. Myrtenaster lit up red as Weiss wielded fire dust and smashed it into the ice wall. The ice broke into pieces, the chunks flying at the shooters. Two out of three of them went down, the last one Ruby sped around and flanked, firing Crescent Rose behind her to augment her lunge as she swung the flat of her blade into the man's chest. The man flew back into the dumpster behind him with a loud crash.

Ruby looked to see Weiss engaging the gang members. There were eight of them left. Weiss parried the blow of a swordsman and booted him into the snow. She stepped back from a swing, then concentrated her Aura into the next attack, sending a wave slamming into the next three opponents. Ruby covered the distance in one leap, augmented by her speed and the recoil of Crescent Rose, bringing the butt of the Scythe up, then down on the top of a gang member's head, the attack sending him face down into the ground. The remaining gang members had their dust pistols out, targeting Weiss. They fired their first volley of rounds, Weiss holding her right hand out and projecting a glyph to provide cover, letting the shots impact on it. Ruby flanked again and sped by each of them, spinning Crescent Rose in one motion, slicing the barrels off the weapons. Weiss's glyph shifted into three, firing a block of ice at them, finishing the fight.

"That went well." Ruby propped Crescent Rose up.

"Watch your step next time." Weiss scoffed.

"Well, I didn't expect a bottle on the ground ."

"We're in the alley, Ruby," Weiss pointed out. "There is always a bottle on the ground."

"We should contact the authorities and let them know to recover the weapons." Ruby stated.

"Better option would be the military," Weiss said. "We have an in with General Ironwood."

"We can't interrogate these guys," Ruby sighed.

"Well maybe try not knocking them out next time?" Weiss placed a hand on her hip.

"At least we can bring back something though," Ruby shrugged. "Whoever this _Bane_ person is, it sounds like they may be the person Ironwood is looking for."

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

As soon as Shadow saw the smoke, he knew that they were late; too late. He stood at the front of the dropship, right next to the pilot seat, seeing three downed Atlas Airships, now replaced by five new arriving ones. One of them was heavily damaged already. The main forestry of the island was devastated already due to the initial assault three months ago, but it was obvious that an attack had happened. Small clearings that looked like they were Atlas ground posts were just burning metal and corpses. He sensed Blake, Ren and Nora come behind him, their expressions in shock. _Who could have done this?_

"We've been called to land on Ironwood's ship to help transfer supplies," The pilot said, referring to the crates in the cargo bay. "But there seems to be a small staging area nearby the main complex where we kept the weapons vault. Should I drop you kids off there?"

Shadow squinted towards the perimeter of the main complex. There was lots of craters from explosions, almost like acne from above, along with bodies of Atlas troops and torn apart androids. Squads of soldiers were already going through collapsed structures and picking through the battlefield. The tree stumps on the northern side had taken a heavy beating, most likely what the assaulting force had used for cover. From the looks of it, they had no casualties.

"Take us down." Shadow replied grimly, then made his way past the others into the cabin.

The once cheery Nora was now silent, most likely in realization of the stakes. It made the rumbling engines the loudest sound in the world. The rear door dropped into a boarding ramp when the dropship reached the ground. The pilot didn't exactly land, but hovered close enough to the ground to allow an easy step off. Shadow led the group, landing two footed on the dirt, his boots feeling the stiff, hard packed soil. The place looked worse from down here. Blaster marks were basically everywhere, whether is was a wall, a body, or just the dirt. It was obviously the work of Republic weaponry. Finally he found Jared, sitting on a piece of a wall about three feet high. He was staring at his helmet in his lap, his once charcoal black armor all dusty and dirty. Shadow could see bandages beneath two scorching holes on his right leg. Yang was standing next to him, arms behind her head, staring at the sky.

"Jared!" Shadow called.

Jared looked up at Shadow and simply nodded.

"You okay?"

"Just a scratch." Jared sighed.

Blake went over to Yang, putting her hand on her partner's shoulder. The two said their usual greetings to each other, though it was more solemn this time, even if Yang did most of the talking.

"What happened?" Shadow asked.

"We got fucked up the ass," Jared shook his head. "It was a mix of White Fang and Clone troopers. I think a lot more are out there than you think."

"How many?"

"I don't know," Jared shrugged. "Probably a small army. Maybe a whole company, or even more. All I know is that the White Fang seemed more focused on the skies while the Clones cleared the landing site."

"They brought down airships with Dropships?" Shadow cocked and eyebrow.

"Two commandeered LAATs," Jared explained. "Missile runs took out the Airships. As for the fighters… well… you know how much of a pain in the ass it is to knock one fully manned Larty out if the sky without the proper ordinance."

"There can't be that many," Shadow bit his lip. "Ironwood's fleet shot down most of the escaping ships from the island attack. All the others would be in Vale, most likely left behind from their assault."

"Shadow, you should have see it," Jared seemed almost angry that Shadow disagreed with him. "We got hit hard. The amount of flanking maneuvers and strategic pushes was actually motherfucking impressive. And even I was there; _me_ , and they didn't even suffer one casualty."

"Shots came from nowhere," Yang added, looking down at the dirt. "Lots of people died."

"I haven't seen such a strategically coordinated hit in my military experience," Jared stated. "That was an army."

"Actually," A familiar, strong voice bursted in. It was General Ironwood, striding in peacefully, arms clasped behind his back. "I can confirm it was not an army. During the conflict, I ordered some of my men to scan the ground for life signals that didn't correspond to any confirmed locations of the soldiers in combat. We only were able to detect two unaccounted humanoids."

" _Two_?" Shadow's eyes widened.

"Yes," Ironwood nodded. "Two _clone troopers_ hit our facilities with extreme tactical precision."

"How much did they take?"

"Everything we had."

"You've gotta be shitting me," Jared groaned. "There is no fucking way that-"

Jared was cut off by Yang, who had elbowed him in the gut. Jared looked at Yang in annoyance. Yang had a nervous expression on her face and tilted her head to motion to Ironwood, who was staring at the Shadow Trooper. Jared then realized his mistake and began to redden at his cheeks.

"I'll ask you to mind your language, Jared." The General said politely.

"Sorry, sir." Jared looked down in embarrassment.

Ironwood looked over to Ren and Nora with a hint of dismay. The two were more focused on the damage of the area.

"I see the circle grows larger." Ironwood noted, visibly towards Shadow.

"How exactly did two Republic Soldiers manage to cut through your defenses?" Shadow pushed on to change the subject. "I thought you said things were tight."

"As I said, it was with extreme tactical planning and precision," Ironwood explained. "Whoever led the attack must have known how low to keep their ships to the water to avoid radar detection. The commandeered _Republic Gunships_ , as Jared calls them, or your _LAATs_ , spearheaded the assault, accelerating past the group and knocking one of the Airships out of the sky before they could create a defensive formation."

"Most likely missiles." Jared piped in.

"With their gunships focusing on our main ships and their Dropships covering them from our fighters, we couldn't provide any support when they dropped two clones. They strategically went for the listening posts first, then the communications post, then pushed for the main complex, clearing it for their Dropships to land and load the weapons." Ironwood paused in grief. "I don't have an exact body count, but I'm estimating around seventy Atlas casualties, plus the command and crews of the three airships lost today."

"Something doesn't add up," Blake said. "The White Fang is organized, but what you are speaking of sounds way beyond their planning and skill."

"As obvious as the unlikelihood of this situation is, I think it best for you to get back to Vale," Ironwood said. "I will provide anything useful, should I come across it."

"Thank you General." Shadow nodded.

Ironwood returned the gesture and strode away.

"That's just brilliant what happened here." Jared scoffed. "It can't be much worse in Atlas, can it?"

"It seems so," Shadow ran his hand down his face. "Tested went MIA last night."

"What?"

"GT has been looking for him all day."

"What the fuck is going on?" Jared grumbled.

"I don't know." Shadow shook his head. "But we're gonna find out, one way or the other."

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

With Red and A-64 still in Atlas, Bane returned to the main White Fang hideout. He walked through the metal, industrial corridors and entered the main hangar, where the array or bullhead dropship had just returned from the mission from the island assault. The high, dark ceiling mustered spotlights that illuminated the large area. Crates were everywhere, being stacked by the Faunus. Bane made his way past them, spotting the Alpha ARCs. Ripper sat on a crate, inspecting his DP23. His Shiney white and blue armor was not really dented and chipped, but rather dirty. He seemed to be scraping sand and dirt from his weapons. Ranger was standing, helmet clutched between his left arm and his side. His red and white armor was damaged in a similar fashion to Ripper's, yet his unhelmeted face revealed something Bane had not noticed before.

Ranger's face, despite being solid, grim, and chiseled by the long war, was unscathed. He had the standard clone haircut, and had absolutely no scars. He looked like a standard shiny fresh off the batch. Bane was quite amazed by this, as he had read Ranger's service record on the way here. The highly decorated Alpha ARC Captain had served in many missions and rough campaigns, and was first deployed in one of the worst sections of Kamino to defend. He was at the Battle of Sarrish, alongside the Republic's worst battlefields, such as Umbara, the second and third battles of Felucia, and even more. One would expect a soldier's face to be jagged as hell from that experience, yet Ranger was the complete opposite. With a tilt of a head, he saw Bane.

"Bane," He greeted. "Back so soon?"

"I wanted to see what type of success you two made." Bane replied.

"Oh, we are loaded now," Viper came around a stack of crates with a data pad, notably speaking with glee. "Running inventory right now, I estimate about five hundred rifles and carbine blasters, over two hundred assorted explosive ordnance, and nearly a thousand ammunition magazines, all untouched."

"That's enough to supply a little more than two companies."

"It most definitely is."

Bane could tell Viper was grinning under his helmet. He was impressed as well. This was enough weaponry to fund the White Fang enough to challenge the Atlesian Military. He didn't care though. As long as he completed his objectives, he didn't care if this world turned itself into a fireball of war.

"So, where is Red and 64?" Ranger asked.

"Red is holed up at a safe house, waiting for his next assignment," Bane replied. "64, however, took his own mission. He believes it would be beneficial to have an inside source to Atlas Military intelligence."

"Figures," Ranger scoffed. "He'll be fine. Have the necessary preparations been made?"

"Affirmative," Bane nodded. "However, there are still a few more favours our associates have."

"Then we shall finish it up." Ranger stated. "Ripper, remain here and wait for Spade to return. Viper, you are with me."

"Where are we off to?" Viper looked up from his data pad.

"To Atlas." Ranger replied. "Bane, just make sure that our associates do not go back on their word."

"Somehow," Bane smiled under his helmet. "I don't think I will have a problem with that."

-GT 3rd Person POV-

 _Red Sedan, Limousine, Black SUV._

GT knew these cars very well. He knew the exact speed they were going, and the exact time they passed through this intersection of the traffic camera. It was because he has reviewed this footage over, and over, and over again. Like fifteen other intersections, he had reviewed street cam footage repeatedly. These were the only possible locations Tested could have been taken to for a drive off. GT had also investigated the area thoroughly, finding nothing that could lead him to the pick up point. GT felt himself being pulled into darkness, his vision blurring. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes. Aware that he began to doze off, he shook his head, blinking hard, then focused his eyes on the screen, replaying the same traffic footage.

The deep knock on the desk caused GT to flinch in his seat. He looked towards the source of the sound, seeing TJ standing there with a thermos he had placed on the desk.

"I'd really hate to give this to you," TJ shook his head as GT took the coffee. "You've been up for more than Forty hours."

"Last I checked, you were lacking sleep as well." GT sipped the thermos, eyes back onto the screen.

"I took six hours off," TJ stated. "Six hours of rest. The rest we can get on the airship."

GT froze, turning to TJ, almost in anger.

"You are already focused on going back?"

"We had a set time limit to stay here," TJ replied. "We are meant to leave tonight."

"We can't leave Tested."

"What leads do you have?" TJ asked.

"Nothing!" GT slammed his fist into the table. "I don't have _shit_! I've gone through every possible route our kidnappers could have taken Tested! It's like they vanished!"

"The trail has gone cold?"

"Colder than _Rhen Var_."

TJ sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Well, we can't stay." He said.

"Why not?"

"We have class."

"Class?" GT spun to TJ on shock. "You're worried about _class_? Tested is in _danger_!"

"Look, there's nothing we can do," TJ argued. "We can do everything we can from Vale. Go over same routes, check more street cam footage, send a APB to Ironwood's men, anything, but we can't stay here. Our mission timer is up."

TJ paused, GT knowing that he did it to allow him processing time.

"Besides," TJ continued. "Perhaps we can turn up a new lead from Vale."

GT mulled this over. Logically, TJ was right, but GT knew in his gut that leaving Tested was a wrong move. Still, he had to make a call.

"Look, Weiss already has the tickets booked," TJ stated. "If you want to stay, that's fine, but the others should get a ride home."

GT knew what he was probably going to do, and he hated himself for it.

"Where are the others?" GT changed the subject.

"Downstairs." TJ replied. "They're too scared to come up after how you yelled at them the other night."

"Let's see what they found." GT got up from the chair and led TJ down the steps.

"Hey," TJ stopped GT just before the stairs. "Apologize to the girls."

"For what?"

"GT, Ruby is fifteen and Weiss is seventeen. They are basically _kids_."

"I'm almost thirteen." GT shot back.

TJ just glared.

"Fine." GT sighed and pushed past his brother.

As GT and TJ descended, GT saw the others drinking warm beverages, most likely hot chocolate. Ruby was seeing how much whip cream she could get in her mouth while Weiss scolded her for health reasons. Jaune and Pyrrha just sat and watched. GT cleared his throat to get their attention.

Ruby froze at the sight, chucking the whip cream can behind her and attempting to swallow the substance in her mouth with the help of her hot chocolate. Weiss looked away in disgust.

"As expected," GT began. "We barely have anything other than leads to go off of. Now I know TJ was the one monitoring your recon missions, but I want to hear the findings from each of you personally."

GT turned to Pyrrha and Jaune. "We can start with you two."

"We didn't find anything." Pyrrha answered.

"I honestly didn't really know what we were looking for." Jaune added.

"Why am I not surprised." GT sighed.

"Well, looking for ' _anything suspicious_ ' is not very descriptive." Jaune shot back.

"Jaune, it means to look for anything out of the ordinary. It is not rocket science!"

"Rocket science is actually a challenge on Remnant, as no dust types have been able to power anything past our atmosphere." Pyrrha piped in.

"Thank you for the pile of useless information you have just provided me, Miss Nikos," GT glared. "Why don't you take that information, and dump it in my spam box."

Pyrrha was taken aback by the insult, her expression showing noticeable embarrassment.

"Look, sorry," GT facepalmed. "It's been a stressful two days, and because I've been busy with locating our missing man, I've expected you to pick up the slack." GT turned to Weiss and Ruby. "I'm hoping you two can impress me."

The two girls seemed nervous, but finally, Ruby spoke.

"We were near the northern side of town to check out some of the local street gangs," Ruby explained. "Weiss and I managed to stop an arms deal with weapons from your world. We called TJ to notify General Ironwood's troops of the cache and moved on from there."

"And here I thought I had told you not to engage." TJ put his hands to his hips.

"It wasn't exactly a problem," Weiss said back. "But despite _Ruby_ breaking stealth," She glared at her partner. "We actually managed to pickup some vital information."

"What type of _vital_ information?" GT raised an eyebrow.

"A name," Ruby replied. "Someone called _Bane_."

"Bane?"

"Yeah, Bane," Ruby nodded. "We have no idea who he is, but the way the weapon dealers were talking, they were either working for him, or everyone knew who he was."

"Curious that a name like _Torchwick_ wasn't brought up instead." TJ looked at GT.

"No," Ruby shook her head. "Roman Torchwick is a criminal, but the way they spoke of this Bane guy was like he was a monster."

"Ring any bells?" GT looked back at TJ.

"I'll have a look through the Atlas person database," TJ scratched his head. "But like the name Shadow gave me, these people don't look like they exist."

"Cross reference with the Atlesian Military database as well," GT added. "There has to be something."

"So what else is there to do?" Ruby asked.

GT looked at the four teenagers. GT was tired as hell, but he wasn't a concern. The others, however, were rather run down from the full day and day before of reconnaissance. They had also combed every suspected place in the city they could find. There wasn't much they could do.

"Nothing," GT answered Ruby's question. "The only task we have right now, is to pack for our flight."

"Pack?" Jaune gasped.

"What about-"

"Weiss already has our tickets booked and there is not much we can do here," GT cut off Ruby. "These operations take a long time, and if were to stay here for the whole duration of this operation, you all might as well drop out of Beacon Academy, as it CAN, take that long."

"What about _Tested_?" Ruby asked quietly.

"I'll spend my last hours here looking for him," GT stated. "Either way, Tested will be fine. We won't stop looking for him though, even if we are in Vale. For now, we should act as if we plan on having lives within the next few years. Any questions?"

The group responded with silence.

"Then, dismissed!" GT announced.

As TJ, Jaune, and Pyrrha went to go start packing, GT went over to Ruby and Weiss.

"Weiss, Ruby?"

"Yes?" Weiss replied, not knowing what mood GT was in at the moment.

"I'm sorry for blowing my cap off on you guys the other night," GT sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It is stressful leading a team, and while most, if not all Clones are engineered to resist any stress, it doesn't stop us from getting mad when we don't get results."

Weiss and Ruby looked at each other, seeming to understand that GT was truly sorry.

"It's easy for me to forget you two are so young and inexperienced compared to me and the guys," GT continued. "And speaking of Tested's whereabouts at the moment, I'll have to admit that this was not entirely your fault. Even I'm having trouble finding the scrap of a lead to locate him. His kidnappers were professionals, and probably would have taken him anyway."

"You were still right about us being a bit careless." Ruby looked down.

"And that carelessness can cost lives," GT stated. "I know you two are still learning, but you can never be too careful. Remember how hard it was to deal with Shash. Regardless, I was out of line in grilling you two the way that I did. I want you to know I'm truly sorry."

Ruby smiled.

"Apology accepted."

-Tested 3rd Person POV-

Tested began to feel what was real. He began to feel the rest of his body parts and limbs, clenching and unclenching his hands. His eyelids parted, giving him vision of one singular spotlight. Everything else around him was dark. He realized that he did not recognize this place, then his past few memories flushed into his mind. He remembered Ruby and Weiss, he remembered that he was in Atlas; then he remembered his attackers. His adrenaline spiked, Tested immediately attempting to spring from his seated position, only to find he had been restrained to the table in front of him; his arms were locked around a bar by handcuffs.

"Rise and shine." A gruff and stern voice welcomed.

The spotlight kept him from seeing anything in front of him, and he kept his head at an angle, barely able to keep his eyes open from the blinding light.

"Who is there?" Tested struggled with the restraints.

"The cuffs?" The speaker changed the topic. "Probably should have expected that when you took a swing at me the first time."

Tested never remembered throwing a punch. All he remembered was missing a critical shot, then being taken down in a blurr. Despite the light, Tested managed to realize that he was still wearing his armor, minus the trench coat; however, his weapons and gear were gone.

"Where am I?" Tested asked, then he began to process the situation, scanning the room. There was one table and two chairs, a blinding spotlight in a dark room where he was restrained. He was in an interrogation room, and he was certainly not the interrogator. He squinted to look past the light, only catching a glimpse of armor. At that moment, he struggled more. A _Clone_? There was a Clone cell in Atlas? Most likely a escapee from the island attack.

"Better question is who you are?" The interrogator dropped a data pad on the desk. "But I already know the answer. CT-1747, Sergeant of the 501st and part of the elite Torrent Company reporting directly to Commander Appo. Two recommendations for a promotion to ARC trooper, but never approved. You've been through some rough campaigns."

"I'm not telling you anything, traitor." Tested growled.

"Now what are you talking about?" His interrogator seemed legitimately confused. "I'd expect more respect from you as a soldier from your background."

"Well the same goes for Cody's men, doesn't it?"

His interrogator paused, seeming as he was trying to process what Tested was saying.

"Son, do you know where you are?" he finally spoke.

Tested now became a bit confused as well, now starting to have doubts of where he originally thought he was. He tried to see his interrogator again. His interrogator seemed to notice this, and the floodlight stopped, now leaving the single light hanging from the ceiling amongst the dark room. Now Tested could see who was talking to him. The armor did not give away to white, but rather the black, cool colour of a Shadow Trooper. Tested looked more closely, seeing a matte black coloured dark visor rimming his red T-slit, and the marking on his right chest plate that signified his rank. Tested recognized it immediately as the rank insignia of a General. Very few clones carried that rank, as it was originally reserved for the Jedi. He immediately switched back into disciplinary mode, sitting up a bit straighter now.

"Sir, no sir." Tested replied.

"You're in the Arca Company Barracks, Sergeant," The Shadow Trooper General said. "You're on Triple Zero; Coruscant."


	7. Chapter 6

-Red 3rd Person POV-

 _Target number three_.

That's all this guy was. The blond man had ordered hits on multiple officials of the Schnee Dust Company. He didn't know whether this was to weaken such a high profiting dust organization or retaliation for the heavy funding towards the Atlesian Military that had increased its grip over Atlas. Almost all illegal and black market operations going through had ceased in trying to keep a low profile. Either way, he didn't know, and he didn't care. All he knew is he had a target.

This was an easy shot as well. Just under two kilometers with a stationary target, Red didn't have to move closer. His best shot had been at ten kilometers. While it may have been with a Verpine, he could make do with the standard issue DC-15X. He hadn't modified the weapons very much, other than the scope, in which he asked for a higher zoom.

Red checked his mission clock. 15:32, standard military time. _Time to make the shot._

Red set up his rifle, folding out his bipod and resting it on the small wooden support in front of him. Lying on his stomach, he took aim at the office window two kilometers away. He was a bit high in elevation, but the shot was still relatively possible. His eyepiece quickly helped him move his scope to the general area of the window. Once it was in position, he dared not make any drastic movements. At this range, moving even a millimeter could throw your aim off by several meters. As his intel suggested, his target was there, in a white suit, back facing him.

 _Just keep your back facing me you fierfek. That's it, keep doing your boring office work._

Red flicked on the power setting to full charge. He wanted to fry this mongrel's head off. Then he took his 3 deep breaths, holding on the last one. Red's eyes drove themselves deep and hard into his scope, making sure the crosshairs was on the man's head. Satisfied, he willed himself to cease moving, then pulled the trigger.

 _Crack!_

The shot was loud, and the recoil was something, but Red kept his crosshair on target, watching the blue bolt crash through the window, and his target's head erupt in fire.

 _Kill confirmed._

Red folded up his bipod and slung his rifle. After checking his target off his list, he began to make his way out the building, taking the fire escape. It didn't matter if the man's guards could trace the location of the shot. They wouldn't get here in time. The concern was the large amount of Atlas soldiers patrolling the streets at any given time. The would investigate the blaster shot, but Red was already gone. Long gone.

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

"We're back!" TJ announced as he entered Shadow's dorm.

Everyone was there. Team RWBY, JNPR, and TJGT, minus Tested. Everyone was in a WIDE array of attire. Nora, Ren, Jared, Yang, Blake, and Shadow were in their school uniforms while the others still remained in their casuals. Obviously, Shadow knew GT and TJ were lacking some sleep, yet on the outside, the Twins were fine, but Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha all looked weary. Well, Shadow guessed he should have expected that. He doubted they had done anything like this before.

"Not a moment too soon!" Ruby treaded, almost zombie-like towards Shadow's bed, then landed flat on the mattress.

Shadow cleared his throat, staring at Ruby to get her attention, but got no response. Even Yang poked her twice, Ruby responding with "Five more minutes."

"Well, the gang's all back," Jared stated. "Why don't we get started before Class."

"Class?" Weiss straightened out of her exhausted state.

"Relax, Ice Queen," Jared assured. "You've got forty five minutes from now."

"I need to wash my hair!" Weiss shot back.

"Well," Jared shrugged as he ran his hand through his standard military cut hair. "One minute in the shower for me."

"Some people take pride in their hair, Jared." Yang felt her thick, lush, blond hair. "You guys should consider styling it."

"That is not a bad idea." TJ motioned at GT.

"Alright, let's just get through this," Shadow brought everyone back on track. "Jared, you can explain your findings with the Clone Prisoners."

"Lots of dead ends," Jared shook his head. "They have none of the answers that we want, but they know something, and they've been keeping real quiet about it."

"The only answer I got from them was _oww,_ " Yang joked.

"Other than that," Jared rolled his eyes to continue. "As some of you may know, the island that Shash used as his base of operations three months ago that is, or was, currently being used as a weapons vault for Republic Technology, was just attacked. According to sources, the attack was led and commenced by two unknown individuals. With the assistance of the White Fang, they managed to take basically everything we had in the main vault." Jared paused, obviously furious with the attack. "Yang and I were there when it happened. They attacked with extreme tactical precision and coordination. All the White Fang did was load the supplies and provide air cover from the Atlas fleet."

"What does that have to do with our job?" Nora asked.

"Two things," Jared stared at Nora in utter confusion that she didn't understand. "First of all, the Fang was committing acts of terrorism with an arsenal of our technology. NOW, they just managed to snag A LOT more to commit MORE of those attacks. Who knows how many of those weapons may go to the streets with Torchwick in play as well. That makes our job a lot harder. On top of that, we don't know who led the attack."

" _Two people_ isn't very descriptive." Weiss stated.

"I concur." GT added.

"These were not rogue Huntsmen." Jared promised. "I honestly could have sworn on my life I saw the plastoid white armor. The way they fought was different too. There was no special moves or any sort of semblance or power with them. They fought like standard, normal men, except with strategy that was good enough to take down all ground defenses on the island, including me and Yang, with only two people. That is basically IMPOSSIBLE."

"I don't even think any two members Shash's team is capable of doing that." GT piped in.

"No," Shadow bit down on his teeth, slightly annoyed that GT brought up the possibility that any of the Nova were alive. "They are all dead anyway."

"It does sound like the work of an ARC Trooper." TJ added.

"Atlas group, what did you find?" Shadow pushed on.

"Well, we found that someone very professional was interested in capturing Tested," GT replied. "Two days of searching for him with every camera and asset at my disposal and I don't have a clue on who took him and where."

"Did you at least find anything we could use?"

"Only a name." Ruby piped in. "Weiss and I managed to stop a sale of weapons, and managed to catch the name _Bane_."

Shadow raised his eyebrows just the slightest bit, not enough to be obvious. That name was familiar.

"Never heard of him." Jared shrugged. Shadow also noticed Jared had been staring hard at him.

"Neither has the Atlesian Military." TJ added. "Like the other name Shadow sent me, a 'Rezla' and 'Bane' don't appear to exist."

"Who's Rezla?" Jaune interrupted.

"Apparently, he's the dealer of the weapons." Shadow replied. "According to Junior, the nightclub owner, he's been selling in Atlas and has made a call out to prospecting buyers in Vale."

"I'm more curious about this 'Bane' character." Yang motioned to Ruby.

"The way the sellers mentioned his name was like everyone in Atlas knew who he was," Ruby explained. "The name was a threat."

"Given the fact that the Atlas person database and the Atlesian Military doesn't even have him as a profile yet, means that he's relatively new in town." TJ deducted.

"So what's our next move?" Yang stepped forward.

"We have three priorities now," Shadow stated. "Priority number one is finding Tested. See what we can get from Vale, and perhaps we can send a search party next weekend. Priority number two is protecting Vale streets. The White Fang have not been committing any terrorist operations on Vale soil, but streets have started to light up. Locate weapon caches and report them to Vale law enforcement officials. Priority number three is finding Rezla. Rezla appears to be the heart of this thing, and we may have a plan to cut it out."

"What did you have in mind?" GT asked.

"We figured we would use Junior to contact Rezla and trace the call signal," Shadow continued. "If not that, a tracer in a lien bag during the weapons deal, capturing a prisoner for intel, or if we are lucky the guy may be there himself."

"Whoa whoa whoa," Weiss interrupted. "We are _allowing_ a weapons deal?"

"I don't see the problem." GT shrugged.

"Isn't he a bad guy?"

"He's a nightclub owner involved in basically everything in town," Yang scoffed with a smile. "We also do have an understanding with him. I mean, GT and TJ even protected him once. Tested even has a job there."

"But that's wrong!"

"Oh please," Jared waved her off. "We can just take the weapons for ourselves after the deal."

"Wouldn't he be mad about that?" Weiss pointed out. "This is effectively robbing him."

"Well if he decides to be an asshole about it," Jared laughed. "We can either report it to law enforcement or bring the posse and shoot his place up. I don't see the problem."

"Well, I see one," Yang shrugged. "RIP Tested's paycheck."

"We'll worry about that later," Blake said. "Either way, we should probably get ready for class."

"Agreed." GT stood. "I think we can call the meeting now. Let's not be late for Oobleck."

The room began to shift as everyone filed out. Shadow went towards the window, looking out onto the campus.

"Hey," An unexpected voice called.

Shadow turned slightly, just enough to see it was Jared.

"Yeah?" Shadow replied.

"Everyone, even Blake may not have noticed something click in your head when you heard the name _Bane_ , but you mentored me and I've known you more than anyone here," Jared paused, his expression a mixture of curiosity and seriousness. "I can't shake the feeling that you know more than you're letting on."

Shadow turned back to the view of the campus, moving his jaw around his mouth.

"You know something, don't you?" Jared asked.

"Pray that I don't." Shadow answered.

-Mack 3rd Person POV-

" _Chug! Chug! Chug!_ " was all you could hear from the Mess hall.

Reker and another trooper has been having a contest on who could drink the most water without having to go to the bathroom. It had started with twenty men, as trooper upon trooper began to give in. Mack had considered that allowing the team to mingle with the troops of the 501st was a good way to strengthen unit cohesion, as tomorrow was going to be a rough campaign. The insurrectionist forces had dug their heels deep into the lower levels of Coruscant, and clearing them out was going to be hell, especially without proper air support. They had no idea what lay beneath the depths. Even High Command deemed a scouting mission by Atomos Squad too high of a risk, so they had to rely on city maps, and their guts. Essentially, they were going in blind.

Once again, Reker took a long gulp of water, slamming his cup to the table, grinning at the 501st trooper next to him. Finally, the Clone gave in, looking at his full glass, then letting it hit the table, spilling the contents. A loud cheer resounded throughout the room. Reker held both hands you high, in fists, screaming at the top of his lungs in glory. Cat, Cipher, and Faman were just laughing, especially Cat, who was bent over his chair, his face bright red. Even Slayer, who usually brought down the energy of the group, found himself smiling, rolling his eyes and shaking his head to complete it.

"Good game pal," Mack heard Reker as the victor patted his opponent on the shoulder. "What did you say your name was?"

"Jesse," The Clone replied, shaking his head. "And I ain't doing that again."

"Let's hit the restrooms." Reker ushered him away, obviously needing to go as well.

Mack didn't really know whether to be annoyed that the Mess hall had descended into chaos, proud that Reker won, or concerned that he could consume that much water without leaking. Mack turned his attention back to his food as the activity began to die down to a more suitable environment. Then, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Mack turned to see a high ranking 501st clone officer. His armor seemed very standard compared to a regular 501st trooper, but wore a blue pauldron and a kama in addition. Mack realized it was Commander Appo standing over him.

"Yes, Commander?" Mack stood.

"Sorry to disrupt you, sir," Appo stood at ease with his hands clasped behind his back. "You're being requested to the Command Center."

"What for?"

"Not entirely sure, sir," Appo replied, leaning in a bit closer. "Orders from High Command though. Directly from the Supreme Commander himself. All I know is that you and your unit is being transferred back to the Arca Company Barracks, _discreetly_."

"Alright," Mack bit his lip. "Thanks for the heads up."

Appo simply saluted, then walked away. Mack noticed Cat walk right past him.

"What was that about?" Cat asked. "Something wrong?"

"Not sure," Mack assured. "Get the team to pack their gear. We're being recalled."

"For what?" Cat's eyes widened. "We're meant to be in a combat zone _tomorrow_."

"I don't know, but I'll find out," Mack replied. "Just get the team together after Reker has had his moment."

"Yes sir."

-A-64 3rd Person POV-

" _Advanced Recon Commando Alpha 64 is a complete embodiment of focus, dedication, and sheer will." - Psychiatric assessment, 32 standard days after the battle of Sarrish._

That was one of the highlights of A-64's resume, the top one being his mission report from that battle. 64 knew Ranger had been there as well, but Ranger's gunship at least got to land. 64's was shot down as soon as they were in weapons range. Being the only survivor of the crash, he spent one of the Republic's bloodiest battles in the wreckage. From his perspective, A-64 had laid down overlapping volleys of fire on incoming Separatist patrols after using mortar rounds and thermal detonators to scatter hostile lines. Officially, he had done just that, but it was to an entire column of droids. Many combat analysts say that any ARC Trooper should have died in his position, especially when you add in the fact that he was wounded. The injuries sustained in six hours of combat were more like someone who had been fighting for days. Bones cracked and fractured during the crash, along with gashes and bruises, it seemed like a miracle he was still alive.

Despite what his file said, he never considered himself superior to his brothers. A-64's life was a simple as any life could be. He was bred to fight and die for the Republic. He was designed and trained to be the best of the best. As far as he was concerned, he was not a person. He was an asset. He was a weapon. This weapon now happened to be pointed at an Atlesian soldier coming down a corridor.

A-64 packed himself tightly against the wall, using the protruding hallways supports to hide himself. The soldier wasn't paying attention, his eyes on a tablet in his right hand. 64 just waited, hearing each step getting closer and closer. Finally, the soldier was just within whisper distance, and 64 popped out. His right hand went over the soldier's mouth, waiting for his other hand to secure a grip around the back of the head. Then, in a twitching motion, 64 twisted the head past the turning point, hearing the loud crack of bone. The ARC trooper let the body fall, drawing his DC-15S, listening and watching intently for any other visitors. Satisfied there was no one coming, he began his work.

He picked up the tablet, plugging in a flash drive.

 _So Roman was right. Everything IS kept on a wireless network._

That made the job as simple as uploading a program, which is exactly what 64 did. The program would upload into the ship mainframe. Anything that connected to the mainframe would provide 64 an access point to any files, schematics, or codes that was contained on the device. Now, he just needed a decoy to make sure Atlas didn't locate the program. 64 pulled a detonator from his belt, thumbing the trigger, and listening. One by one, four booms resounded, each one louder each time. The targets: The Atlas CCT, and the three nearby Atlesian Airships, including the one 64 was on right now. Given that he had placed the bombs in the engine rooms, this ship was grounded. 64 could already feel the ship tipping into a nosedive.

His escape plan was pretty flawless as well. There was no need to get in a VTOL dropship to flee. All he had to do was wait until he hit the ground. One would normally be absolutely furious of his plan, relying on chance that he would survive the crash, but 64 didn't need to rely on anything. He had a gut feeling he was going to survive. It didn't matter what happened to the rest of the crew. He just had a feeling, and oddly, for such an intelligent, experienced, and skilled soldier, that was good enough for him.

-Jared 3rd Person POV-

Jared was called up to the floor for the final sparring match. He actually brought his helmet this time, syncing his HUD to his scroll to display his aura meter. It had been a little while since he had used the bucket, but it really wouldn't change anything. The problem was his opponent, Pyrrha Nikos.

The round had already started, and the two squared off. Jared saw the emerald eyes of girl in gladiator armor watching him intently, her face calm, yet her position ready. She held her shield in front, revealing only her face, her main weapon in its short sword form, tucked low and ready to strike. Jared adjusted his grip on his Katanas. He had lost a team match last time, and he really didn't want to lose another match a second time in a row.

Jared didn't want to start off with his semblance, and he knew Pyrrha wanted him to attack first.

 _Might as well_.

Jared rushed forward, Katanas to his side, the tips just scraping the arena floor. He spun right, bringing his Katanas to a double swing. Then Pyrrha moved. Instead of using her shield to block, her sword came up, deflecting Jared's attack away. She spun and swept her leg under, Jared feeling himself land flat on his back. He rolled away, getting to his feet, his eyes quickly darting to track his opponent. Pyrrha remained in the exact spot, slowly moving herself into ready position.

Pyrrha gave three seconds, then attacked. Jared parried her lunge at him, his other blade coming into a counter swing. Pyrrha's shield was there to block the attack. Her sword came into a knife formation as she swung, Jared stepping back to protect his throat. Jared was forced to counter and block the next flurry of swings and slashes. Pyrrha was fast. Jared sidestepped and ducked under a swing, hoping to get an upper hand, throwing a right and left slash. Pyrrha brought her shield up and down, blocking both attacks. She spun backward, landing a kick to Jared's gut. Jared looked up, not expecting Pyrrha's sword to extend its reach. He leaned his head back, the tip of the spear just tapping his visor. Jared lept back, trying to ready himself, but Pyrrha didn't let him, charging forward, wielding her spear with both hands. She twirled over Jared's first swing, and Jared thought he had her mid air, until his other blade clashed on her shield mounted on her back. He did not even notice her put it there. She landed, bringing the spear under his legs, and swiping his right. Jared lost his balance, feeling Pyrrha strike him in the chest. He leaned back mid air, landing on all fours, skidding away. Then Jared lunged.

Pyrrha twirled her spear expertly, blocking the first set of Jared's attacks. Jared began to concentrate his energy, slamming Pyrrha's weapon down. His blades lit up as he slashed upwards in an X motion, releasing a wave of energy. Pyrrha leaped back in retreat, about a quarter of the way across the arena, the shield on her back sliding down her arm onto her gauntlet. Her spear changed form again, now forming a rifle. Jared saw the barrel appear through the small round edge opening in the shield that allowed her to fire.

 _Excellent…_

Jared dodged left and right as she fired, then brought his Katanas to bear, deflecting the dust rounds with his blades. Then he held his breath and time slowed. This was his moment. Jared sprinted around, as fast as he could, getting on Pyrrha's flank, releasing his breath and slashing at her back.

Jared heard her gasp and grunt from the unexpected attack. She spun around and swung her shield as a melee. At the same time, Jared noticed her other weapon, in its rifle form spin around her neck to unfold into her spear. The spear aligned with her shoulder with the barrel facing the exact opposite direction of Jared and fired, launching the weapon towards him. Jared's blades came up and blocked the attack, the spear bouncing back at Pyrrha. Pyrrha grabbed the spear out of mid air and spun, launching her shield like a Frisbee. That was what Jared wasn't ready for, and took the hit right to the face. By the time Jared looked back, Pyrrha launched herself at him, shield in front and her sword ready to strike, and struck a heavy blow at Jared's chest.

He skidded back from the blow. Jared eyed his aura level meter at the top left corner of his HUD. It was at three quarters. He still had his eye on Pyrrha, ducking under her slash and bashing her shield away. She kicked the inside of his right thigh as he swung, making him lose his footing. As Jared tried to swing his right blade, Pyrrha brought her shield up and blocked it, making two quick slashes at his torso. She ducked under Jared's left swing and spun into a side kick, knocking Jared back. Jared pushed himself right back, swinging fast from left to right, stepping around her as he did so. Pyrrha simply blocked with her shield and spun into a roundhouse kick, Jared ducking under. Then something odd happened. He swung at an opening, it being her exposed face, but then missed.

 _Wait, what?_

Pyrrha took advantage of his confusion, bashing his back with her shield and kicking him away. Jared whirled and launched himself towards her, only to meet Pyrrha lunge behind her shield, hitting him square in the chest, sending him skidding back once more.

Jared's aura level was now at a third. He had to do something. He had to level the field a bit. This time when Pyrrha charged, Jared stepped back from her swing, then faked a swing to get her to raise her shield, then held his breath. His swords came low and slashed her knees as he released, causing Pyrrha to stumble. Jared spun around to her right flank and swung both swords. Pyrrha recovered fast enough to block one with her sword, but the other blade slashed her face. Pyrrha spun into a shield bash and slashed away with her sword. Jared had been concentrating his aura into his sword once more as he stepped away from Pyrrha's counter, then stepped forward. Pyrrha anticipated the attack and dived into a roll away from the ground smash. Just when Pyrrha was turning to raise her shield, Jared held his breath once more, coming on her left flank, and charging into a spin attack.

From the rear, Jared saw Pyrrha's body language, obviously surprised, raising her shoulders sharply. She turned to the exact direction Jared was coming from, unable to stop him this time as he landed three hits, then kicked her back. He didn't stop. He had her off balance. Jared attacked again as fast as he could, getting under, and knocking Pyrrha's shield off her gauntlet. Pyrrha stepped back as she regained her balance and tried to block Jared's next swing, but she didn't hold it correctly, as it was meant to disarm her. And it did. Jared faced a disarmed Pyrrha, and almost smiled under his helmet as he swung… and missed.

Pyrrha took three steps back, very carefully. Jared charged and swung again and again. Despite her making very little effort to dodge, other than the occasional side step, he couldn't hit her. Something was wrong, and he could feel it. He wasn't this bad. It's like his swords didn't want to touch her. In his annoyance, he didn't notice himself kick something towards her. As he charged into a double bladed swing, he saw that he had kicked her shield to her feet. Pyrrha stomped on the rim, sending it flying up into the air, right as Jared swung. Jared's blades bounced off the shield, sending it to the user. With himself open, Pyrrha spun into a backhand and smashed the rim of the shield down into the right of Jared's neck. Then she ran past him.

Jared looked and saw what she was running at. It was her sword. Jared lunged forward into a sprint. He was gonna catch her, and she knew it, because mid sprint, she lept up and twirled mid air, throwing her shield towards Jared. The Frisbee moving shield arced around and came at an angle. Jared simply dropped to his knees and skidded under it, continuing pursuit. Pyrrha picked up her sword, morphing it into her spear, then charged forward, swinging mid height. Jared stopped the attack and almost didn't block her swing with the other end of the spear. Pyrrha twirled it in the air and let go, allowing it to spin in front of her, almost suspended for a few moments. Then she stepped almost through the spinning spear and rammed her elbow into Jared's face. Her other hand must have taken the spear out of the air because it whacked Jared at the back of the head. The other end hit him in the gut, sending him back a few paces.

Pyrrha took her time with the next attack, grabbing her spear by the end with two hands, ready to swing it like a long club. She spent too much time and Jared was certain to block and counter, however, something slammed into his lower back. It was the shield, and at the same time, Pyrrha swung, right at his neck. The two pronged attack with different torques sent Jared into a flip. With Jared mid air, Pyrrha twirled her spear into its sword form, and slammed it into Jared, shoving him all the way against the ground. The resounding beep echoed, signifying the elimination. Pyrrha reached her free hand out, the shield flying and landing right in her gauntlet.

"Oww." Jared managed to say, flat on his back.

"Victory again, Miss Nikos." Professor Goodwitch announced.

"Thank you," Pyrrha bowed slightly, then offered Jared a hand up. "You fought well."

"Yeah, you too," Jared said in a cheerful tone, yet was a little pissed under the cover of his helmet.

He picked his Katanas up and sheathed them. Jared looked up at the Twins in the bleachers when he removed his helmet. TJ was looking at him with his palms facing up, confused.

 _What happened?_

Jared shrugged, scoffing as he walked towards the entrance to the bleachers. GT was laughing, hand over his mouth, bent over, trying to be silent.

 _Nice one Jared. You can kill an ARC Trooper, but fall short against a seventeen year old girl_.

Then the bell rang.

"And that is all the time we have for today," Glynda stated. "Make sure you practice your semblances and get some combat training in before next class. Focus on your aura."

"Nice one," GT punched Jared in the shoulder as he met him, letting out a long laugh.

"Jared, really?" TJ scoffed.

"Look man, I don't know what happened." Jared sighed.

"That's why they call her the invincible girl," Yang laughed as she came behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "She always wins."

"Uh huh," Jared rolled his eyes. "Right."

"See you after next class." Yang kissed Jared on the back of his neck and ran past him to catch up with her team.

"Hey," Shadow came from Jared's flank. "You got-"

"YES-yes-yes," Jared cut him off. "I know."

 _Terrific. Just terrific._

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

"Excellent work."

"Bravo indeed."

The three men sat at the same table once more, Bane there alongside Torchwick. This time, Ranger was also with them. The gangsters at the table looked at holographic projections, showcasing the damage done by the ARCs, financially a hit, physically a kill, or destructively a demolitions job.

Bane stood further in the back this time, letting Ranger take the lead. The ARC Captain stood tall and crisp, hands clasped behind his back in complete formality. Bane was just in the corner, hands at his sides, ready to rise and draw his sidearms. He found himself eying the dust pistol on the table in front of the blond man. Only few times did his eyes deviate from their task, Bane flinching slightly every time any of the men made a movement that resembled a reach.

"You lot are more efficient than Shash's group, despite being here such a short period of time." The blond man commented.

"We waste no time." Ranger replied politely, but Bane could tell he was getting impatient behind that expressionless T-slit visor.

"Indeed." The man in the black suit stroked his chin. "Did you have to drop the Atlesian Airfleet though? We didn't ask for that."

"Atlas forces are in disarray right now," Ranger stated. "You have close to free will to do what you want."

"Yet this may put more pressure into the Atlesian Military to tighten up security."

"Security will be tightened, yes," Ranger stated. "But all in the wrong places. More soldiers will be dedicated to defending transports and official buildings, therefore meaning less activity on the streets."

"Told you that these guys were good." Roman cocked his head, motioning to Bane and Ranger in his chair. "They even cleaned up the place a little for you."

"I'd say that makes us even." Bane stepped forward, claiming in certainty. Why weren't the men completely satisfied? They had done more than what was asked.

"Actually," The blond man replied. "With air traffic most likely increased, the risk is higher in transporting you."

"Is that supposed to change anything?"

The blond man looked up at Bane, scoffing. "Of course it means something. It means that the price you must pay for this, has increased."

Bane clamped his teeth shut, stopping himself from mouthing off. Despite his blood boiling now, he managed not to break. These guys were milking them, and it was wasting time.

"All due respect," Ranger tried to reason. "We had a deal at the start."

"I have altered it, due to this change of events." The man in the black suit crossed his arms.

"As much as we would love to be here to benefit you, we do have more pressing matters," Ranger shook his head. "We've wasted enough time."

"A waste of time you say?" The blond man leaned forward in his chair, now offended.

"We aren't here as long term as Shash was. We want our mission quick and clean, and it's been rather messy already."

"If you don't keep up your end of the deal buddy," The blond man jabbed his finger at the Captain. "You don't get our end."

"Gentlemen, please," Roman held his hands up to Ranger and the blond man. "Let's work this out."

"How about we make a new deal?" Bane stepped in. He was pissed now. "You give us safe transport in and out of Vale, and I don't kill all of you?"

"You expect us to-" The African American never finished his sentence. Ranger seemed to be pissed as well, because he had just drawn a side arm and fried the man's face off.

The blond man reacted quick, a dust pistol coming out of his jacket. Bane reached out quick, his mind immediately zeroing in on the weapon. With his will, the pistol flew out of blond man's hands and into Bane's. Bane caught the gun and the time focused with the force on the blond man, specifically around his neck. The blond man started reaching and clawing at his throat, unable to stop what was choking him. Bane ended the man's life with one tighter squeeze and crack. As the body fell, he turned his attention to the man in the suit. He had not moved, he had not flinched. Bane grabbed the dust pistol with both hands and brought his knee up into it, snapping the weapon in half. He threw the remains onto the table.

"You want to join them?" Bane asked in a menacing tone.

"Not really," The man in the black suit replied. He didn't seemed the least bit frightened. In fact, his thin mouth was in the form of the most discreet smirk possible. "I'll take your deal."

Bane and Ranger exchanged glances. Roman was just absolutely shocked at what just happened. Finally, Bane spoke.

"We'll send you details once we are ready."

-Yang 3rd Person POV-

"C'mon Yang!" Ruby cheered. "You can beat him!"

"Pound him into the ground and obliterate him!" Weiss added.

Yang was in an intense match, against Jared. The two were playing a videogame, with two ninjas being the characters, battling each other with lightning fast katana slashes. Yang and Ruby loved this game and had played this many times before, however, Jared was surprisingly good at this. He had just picked up the controller and beat Ruby last game.

"You are slipping up." Yang saw Jared smirking in her peripheral vision.

"Oh yeah?" Yang chuckled. "How about this?"

Yang stepped back and launched a combo at Jared this time. Jared seemed to frown a bit when Yang did so, bringing his health down to a quarter.

"You suck, Jared." Shadow teased his protogé.

"Thanks for the input, Shadow," Jared sighed. "But I can still best you in this game."

"You sure about that?"

"Sit down, pick up a controller, and watch me kick your ass." Jared shot back.

Yang thought Jared was distracted, so she had pressed her attack, throwing in some high damaging, offensive combos. Her mistake. Jared easily blocked and countered, breaking her combos.

"Yang, we watch holo screens on our Heads Up Display in combat all the time," Jared sneered. "We can multi task."

Yang panicked as her health dropped lower and lower, frantically trying to strike back. In the end, there was nothing to do.

"JaredTheNinja, wins!" The game called Jared's quickly improvised username. "Total annihilation."

Jared leaned back from his cross legged position, stretching his arms and back.

"So, want to sit down and let me kick your ass, Shadow?" Jared looked up at him.

"Eh… I'm good." Shadow waved him off.

"Ugh!" Yang slammed her fist into the carpet. "Why are you so good at this? You just started this game today."

"Well, we were engineered to learn quickly," Jared shrugged. "So, adapting to the controls isn't a problem. The problem is, you are kinda bad."

"Oh really?" Yang punched him in the shoulder.

"Heh," Jared laughed as he rubbed his arm from the blow. "Yeah. You have absolutely no defence. You can't just try to blow through me for the whole game," Jared took his index finger and tapped the side of Yang's head. "It's called strategy. Perhaps you should think about it sometime."

"Whatever." Yang pushed his hand away.

"In other news," Blake interrupted. "Where are the Twins?"

"GT said that he and TJ wanted some time in the city." Shadow answered.

"They aren't doing anything important without us, right?"

"Nah. It's just leisure time."

"So, what do you guys think of team JNPR so far?" Yang asked.

"They're okay." Shadow shrugged.

"Kinda weird though," Jared added. "Especially Nora. She better not be eating too much sugar with her energy level."

"Ren is rather silent, so I can't complain about him," Shadow continued. "And Jaune is… Jaune."

"Pyrrha is interesting though," Jared stated. "She's a good fighter."

"I think we figured that out when you got beat."

"Look, I'm telling you," Jared defended himself. "Something wasn't right in that fight."

"Uh huh."

"No, I'm serious. It's like my blades did not want to touch her."

"Well," Weiss pointed out. "Her semblance is polarity."

Jared slowly turned towards the Schnee.

"What?..." he asked, completely flabbergasted.

"Polarity," Weiss explained. "Her semblance allows her to control metal."

"Sounds like you got played." Shadow chuckled.

"Well, fuck me then." Jared covered his eyes with his palm.

"So, you guys want to play something else?" Yang suggested. "World of Remnant is a good board game."

"Ah, so that's what Tested has been yapping about with us." Jared almost chuckled, but then he seemed to realize who he had mentioned.

"He seems to like strategy games," Ruby added. "He almost won last time."

"Not before I pulled a fast one on him," Yang crossed her arms behind her head. "For someone so disciplined, he's a lot more aggressive in strategies than I am. He's carefully aggressive, but still aggressive."

"Bet I can still best you." Jared challenged.

"Wanna bet?" Yang accepted.

"Jared's all talk in strategy." Shadow interjected.

"Excuse me?" Jared turned.

"You heard me."

"How about I beat you in that game?"

"Oh, you won't."

"Oh please." Jared waved him off.

"Strategy is kinda my thing," Shadow pointed out. "Besides, who was a Marshal Commander in the room? Yeah, me. I'm basically at a rank where I don't have to enter combat that much, but rather command the whole picture."

"So you're fit for a desk job then?" Jared joked.

"I liked being on active duty, just for your information," Shadow explained. "Who is usually the one who comes up with battle plans?"

"We'll see who wins then."

"So we're decided then," Yang stood up. "Teams?"

"Solo." Jared said immediately.

"I'll take Weiss," Ruby said. "She doesn't know how to play properly anyway. Shadow, you can take Blake because she's bad anyway."

"Thanks…" Blake sighed.

"I'll be solo as well," Yang finished. "C'mon, we can play in the library."

-GT 3rd Person POV-

"Hey, wake up!"

"Hmm?" GT broke out of his trance.

"What's up with you?"

The two were in a coffee shop near the town square. They had told the others prior that they wanted some time together. It was a plausible reason. Despite the two almost never being separated, they are usually integrated with their larger group. It was the same reason Team RWBY sometimes didn't want the guys hanging around with them. The day had just been another day in a coffee shop, just talking about life preparing for an upcoming test, or just going over homework, but GT was off today, and TJ was noticing.

"Nothing," GT took a sip from his mug. "I'm fine."

"I think I know you better than that by now." TJ shook his head. "Your disturbance is painfully obvious. What's on your mind?"

"I don't think I need to say." GT replied, looking out the window at a pair of pigeons.

"It's Tested, isn't it?"

"You know me better than anyone." GT nodded.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm bothered too."

"Really now?" GT turned to face his brother.

"It's been too long since we've heard from him," TJ confirmed. "Whoever took him were professionals, and with no ransoms, no gunmen kicking down our doors… well, normally the message conveyed by that means-"

"He's dead." GT finished.

"Well," TJ rubbed the back of his head. "Until we've seen a body, I prefer not to believe that, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't bothering me."

"I want to get back to searching for him." GT stated.

"I'm inclined to agree, but you shouldn't let the search control you."

GT felt TJ grip his forearm. GT looked back at him.

"You need something to clear your head right now." TJ said intently. "I'm really don't care what, as long as you do it."

GT looked out the window, seeing a few random teenagers. Something about them, gave GT an idea.

"Hey TJ, have you ever thought about getting a new hairstyle?"


	8. Chapter 7

-Ruby 3rd Person POV-

Ruby lay flat on her stomach, on her bunk, textbook propped on her pillow and her written report on top of her binder. Her silver eyes darted between her jotted notes, then down at her report she had spent several hours on the night before. Satisfied with her last minute edits, she placed the cap on her pen. She slipped the report into her binder, closing her textbook and putting her stuff off to the edge. She rolled onto her back and laid down, stretching her arms up in a yawn.

"Ruby, what are you doing?"

Ruby turned her head, seeing Weiss standing near her bunk.

"Oh, hey Weiss," Ruby got up into a sitting position, swinging her legs over her bed, letting them hang off the edge. "Just some extra stuff I wanted to add for the report for Professor Peach's class."

"Well, get ready," Weiss sighed. "Professor Goodwitch isn't kind about late arrivals, and we have four minutes to walk there."

"Alright," Ruby slid off her bunk, grabbing her school materials and sliding them into a backpack. "Let's go."

"Thank you." Weiss rolled her eyes and led the way out.

"Hey Weiss?" Ruby asked. "You think Tested's okay?"

"How should I know?"

"You know what I meant."

"I honestly don't know," Weiss answered after a short pause. "I think GT is still looking, but team TJGT hasn't exactly told us much. You know how secretive they are sometimes."

"I'm a bit worried about what attacked General Ironwood's troops on the island," Ruby added. "Jared said that they don't fight like Huntsmen, yet only two of them caused so much damage."

"Then there's the weapons to worry about."

"I just can't help but feel like something is happening." Ruby concluded. "Something big."

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

It was the rumble that woke him up. The whole place shook like an earthquake of 7 magnitudes on the Richter scale for the instant. Bane flipped down his range finder, switching on the night vision setting. The other ARCs were in the compartment as well, all shifting the same way Bane was.

"Talk about a happy landing," Viper commented, voice coming through the squad channel. "I think we're here."

Bane locked his exterior helmet speakers in case he needed to talk. He had realized that the back of his head hurt, probably from hitting the wall behind him. The team had spent hours in a shipping crate; it was their _discreet_ transportation to their destination. Reason they hadn't been detected was due to the false wall of dust crates near the doors.

"Check your armor, weapons, and helmet systems," Ranger ordered. "Spade and Viper, make sure our gear is secure and wasn't damaged by the _di'kut_ who flew us in."

"If they damaged the computers, I'm slotting the pilot." Spade scoffed.

"You should slot him for _dropping_ us." Red added. "He drops us, we _drop_ him, only in a different way. That had to be from at least ten feet off the ground."

Bane was about to join in the banter, but felt a disturbance. He focused on it, reaching out. When he sensed it, he froze.

"Captain," Bane interrupted Ranger, who had started to give more orders.

"What is it, Bane?" Ranger asked.

Bane didn't need to answer, because the entire room froze when they heard it. The low toned whirring sounds slowly morphed into a muffled conversation, slowly getting closer and closer. Bane turned up his audio receptors in his helmet, suspecting the rest of the team had done the same. He could hear them now; it was the gruff and edgy pilot conversing with, what sounded like military officials. Bane began to listen in on the conversation as it became audible.

"Shipment was cleared in Atlas," Their pilot growled. "I really gotta go through inspections again?"

"We just have concerns about smuggling, whether it's intentional or not." An officer replied, sounding a bit more impatient than his compatriot.

"I've got a tight schedule, stiff." The pilot said back.

"Look," The other Officer, more restrained interrupted. "We'll run our check as quickly as possible and be on our way. Otherwise, we'll have to assume your cargo is contaminated, and place you under arrest."

" _Fierfek_ ," Bane heard Ranger cussed. "Don't you dare sell us out _shabuir."_

The long pause in the conversation only told Bane that their pilot wasn't going to go to prison for them. A slight grunt of acknowledgement was heard to confirm his suspicion.

"I think that went as well as _osik_." Viper said.

"He doesn't have the _kriffing gett'se,_ " Ranger shook his head. "Bane, with me. The rest of you, move to the back. Use our crates to hide."

Bane handed his rifle to Ripper and followed Ranger to the front, leaning against the wall next to the crates of dust. He drew a sidearm, Ranger holding a DC-15S up, next to his face.

"There's more of them." Ranger muttered to Bane.

Bane reached out with the force, sensing the additional three officers. It must have been suspicious.

"Weapons Free?" Bane asked.

"Affirmative," Ranger nodded. "I could care less if you accidentally slot our driver. Let's make it quick though."

There was a loud creaking sound as the doors parted, letting sunlight peer over the dust crates, illuminating the room. Bane flipped up his range finder and turned down his audio receptors, his ears still ringing from the unexpected door screech.

"You see?" The pilot stated. "It's just dust."

There was a short, dead silent pause.

"The compartment is hollow," Bane heard one officer whisper. He heard the quick ruffle of clothing and the clicking of dust weapons. It sounded like a hand signal to move forward.

"C'mon you _chakaar_ ," Ranger muttered over the comms. "Make my day."

As one of the dust crates began to move, Bane lunged forward, grabbing the hand that was pushing it in right after it was revealed. Bane pulled the officer, almost over the first row of crates, then slammed the barrel into the bridge of the officer's nose, hearing a loud, wet crack. He thought he saw blood spatter on his armor, but he remained focused on two more officers in sight, lining up the side arm and double tapping both of them in the chest. He heard a dust pistol discharge and ping off the crate next to him, but that was at the same time Ranger bursted through another point, gunning down the remaining officers. The stunned Officer on the crate in front of Bane began to groan. Bane simply held the man's head away from the crate, jammed the pistol under his jaw, and pulled the trigger, letting the body fall away.

"Clear." Ranger announced as Bane pushed his way through the dust crates.

He saw the two dead officers that Ranger had shot. Both had smoking holes in their heads. This fight had lasted no more than five seconds. There was also another person on the ground, except he was moving. It was their pilot. Bane guess Ranger and hit him, judging from the burning red nose that was leaking blood.

"What the fuck?" Their pilot growled at Ranger, clutching his nose.

"Consider that payment for the ' _happy landing'_ and unnecessary firefight," Ranger shot back. "You _kriffing shabuir_."

"Well, I knew that you guys could handle them." The pilot replied.

"But we didn't have to," Ranger snarled, stepping towards his opponent in aggression. "We didn't have to make a mess, and we didn't have to make noise."

"Gear is secure, sir," A-64 emerged from the crates. "Nothing important was damaged. Anything that was is a short fix."

"Understood," Ranger replied without looking. His helmet was positioned as if he was still glaring at the pilot who was getting up, clutching a handkerchief to his nose. "Bane, you and the others unload the gear and prepare for pick up. I'm gonna secure the area and make sure our brief encounter didn't alert anyone or suggest the calling of more authorities. Torchwick said he'd be here soon, but have a backup plan if he doesn't show."

"Yes sir," Bane nodded, and Ranger left. "64, make sure we don't get spotted by any curious eyes," Bane turned to the group. "Slot civvies if you have to."

A-64 gave a slight nod and looked back into the compartment, looking as if he was signaling for something. Then he caught it. The ARC trooper hefted his DC-15A, toying with a few of the settings, then moving to a position outside.

"Rest of us, let's get this gear unloaded," Bane continued. Stack 'em in a square and prop them open, just in case we need to make a run for it."

Bane got a wide range of acknowledgements from around the room as the ARCs began to do what they were told. He was about to join them, then noticed their pilot leaving.

"Hey," Bane called out to him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm due back in Atlas." He scoffed. "I've wasted enough time here."

"No you haven't," Bane shook his head, then pointed to the bodies. "Your fault, your clean up."

"What the hell do you want me to do with them?"

"In the water," Bane sighed. "Toss 'em."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"Well, can I get some help?"

"Oh, we could," Viper called from the rear of the compartment. "But, we think _you can handle it_."

Bane stared down the man for mere seconds, before he started dragging a body away, grumbling as he did so. Things were going well. Torchwick better show, because if he didn't, they would be hauling these. Sneaking around in a city was one thing, white plastoid armor or not, but sneaking around while hauling crates was ridiculously stupid. On the good side though, his targets didn't even know they were coming.

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Finally, the bell rang. Shadow never really liked Professor Peach's class. He had always been more interested in either Grimm studies, despite Professor Port, and Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch. That was what was gonna save him in the field. Still, he finished copying down the assigned readings in his notes and closed his binder. He ruffled his school uniform and slipped the binder into his bag, following the others out. Team RWBY travelled in a pack, with Team TJGT and JNPR behind them. It reminded Shadow of the Republic Commandos, and their cohesiveness.

"Ugh," Shadow heard Yang groan. "I really hate this class."

"I don't think it's bad." Weiss said.

"Thirty pages of reading and a report?" Yang turned towards her. "She's crazy!"

"Well, I like her." Weiss shrugged.

"Oobleck is the worst though!" Yang almost shouted.

"I… still think Professor Peach wins that title." Blake piped in.

"I would definitely say that Grimm studies is my favorite class if Port wasn't the teacher." TJ sighed.

"Oh yeah," GT chuckled. "That old fart talks more about his gloryful youth days a billion years ago than helping us kill Grimm effectively."

"Yeah, well that ' _old fart'_ can still probably wipe the floor with you." Yang laughed.

"No way in hell would I let him do that." GT waved her off.

"So what's with the hair?" Yang asked, noting the visible change in the Twins.

"Yes, I'd like to know what's up with that as well." Jared agreed.

The Twins no longer had the standard clone military cut. TJ had taken a high and tight style, having the sides and back of his head shaved and faded to the patch of hair sitting at the top, cut to about half an inch. He had dyed it almost a discreet color of blue, letting it be more present towards the front, letting it fade into the back and sides. In Shadow's eyes, it was a military haircut, however, it was a more stylish one. GT on the other hand, had gone for a mowhawk, the shaved sides fading into the short tip no longer than an inch. Instead of having stand straight up, GT had it lean forward, the front standing up just past the bridge of his nose. He had also dyed his hair, choosing a bright red, having it bold at the top of the mohawk, and letting it fade away as it worked down the sides.

"Wanted to try something different." GT replied.

"Is that gonna fit under your helmet?" Jared teased.

"Already tried it," GT replied. "Besides, I'm not the only clone to get a mohawk."

"Why a mohawk?" Jared scoffed.

"I've always wanted one."

"You never thought to get it, like, any time before this?" Ruby asked.

"Well, _Shadow_ never let us." GT cocked his head and glared at him. Ruby giggled in response.

"Hey, I don't have strings on you guys now." Shadow said in defense.

"When did you tell us we could do this stuff?" Jared asked smugly.

"I thought it would have been implied when I didn't grill you for the tattoo."

GT bursted out into laughter, punching Jared in the shoulder. TJ joined in as well, a lot more restrained, but still laughing.

"That was three months ago…" Jared gasped. "How did you know that?"

"You didn't exactly try to hide it." Shadow shrugged.

"What tattoo?" Jaune asked.

Jared unbuttoned his blazer, removing the sleeve and undoing the top few buttons of his shirt. He pulled it back, revealing only his arm where the tattoo resided. It was Yang's emblem of the burning heart.

"Corny as hell." GT teased.

"I don't know whether to say that's sweet or creepy." Weiss remarked.

"Creepy," Ruby answered in slight disgust. "Definitely creepy."

"Well, anyways," Shadow changed the subject. "I'm gonna be heading to the training room in an hour to practice. Anyone want to come with?"

"I think I can speak for myself and the Twins in saying yes." Jared nodded.

"We could use some practice as well." Blake suggested.

"As team leader, I agree!" Ruby added.

"Hmph, why not." Weiss muttered and shrugged.

"How about you guys?" Yang motioned to Pyrrha and the rest of team JNPR.

"Uh…-" Pyrrha bit her lip.

"-We'll see about that." Jaune cut her off, seeming slightly nervous.

"Okay," Shadow sighed. "I'm gonna grab a quick bite and armor up. See you guys then."

-Tested 3rd Person POV-

"Sergeant CT-1747, 501st Torrent Company, reporting directly to Appo," The interrogator read the file on the data pad in his hand. "Formally declared KIA, however, if one were to do some digging, they would find that you are officially MIA. You were assigned with a small squad of 501st troops in response to the missing SBH and 21st Nova Squads. Am I correct?"

Tested remained silent. He didn't really want to say anything. He didn't know why, but something in his head was nudging him, clawing at him to tell the truth, specifically, to obey commands. He had been taught to be loyal from the day he was born. That, with the addition of genetic tampering, was hard to shake off. It was really hurting his head.

"Answer my question, Sergeant." The Shadow Trooper general spoke.

Tested bit his tongue, hard, doing his best not to speak. He had been taught to resist interrogation before.

"Son, I have all the time in the world, but my patience is thin. Sooner or later, someone more inhospitable may be in this room with you."

 _Even torture_. Almost all veterans of the Clone Wars have resisted torture by now in some shape or form. Tested figured he had two reasons not to speak. First, he for some reason he could not explain, was a bit embarrassed. Second, he was angry. The Republic had bombed soft targets before, sometimes civilian, but it was usually either on accident, or because there was a high value target there. The attack on Vale had been nothing like any of the assaults Tested had participated in. With the exception of the four Atlesian Airships, every target bombed was a civilian target. The CCT, the Police Station, the Town Square, the highways, and many more. There had been too many fires, and too many funerals.

"Sergeant," The General did not shift from his formal, upright sitting position. "I really don't understand why you refuse to communicate. You were bred to serve the Republic. Obedience is the first thing you are taught to become a soldier, and your file tells me that a good soldier is what you are. All I know about you up to date is that you were MIA, declared KIA, and you were found wearing the armor of an SBH trooper that was confirmed to be dead."

He paused. Trying to look into Tested's eyes for any sort of sign. Tested kept his vision to his lap.

"Do you realize that the Regiment we sent to Vale, numbering in about fifteen thousand, is listed as Missing in Action?" He continued. "Your retrieval team mentioned that you didn't appear to be looking for a way back to us, so that can only say that you were AWOL. Should I assume your whole squad is there with you?"

That did it. With that one line, Tested broke.

"My squad is _dead_!" Tested snapped. "Absent Without Leave? It's not like I had a way back!"

"Your retrieval team had no problem." The General shot back. "Nor did ARC Commander 1237. Should I then assume you were AWOL with the squad of SBH there?"

"Everybody there is because we have to be there!" Tested stated. "You are trusting _Shash_?" He dared use the nickname. "He's responsible for killing half my squad! He and his Nova Squad of ARCs!"

"That's not what we were told nor was it what we were shown," The SBH General explained. "An entire Regiment is missing and presumed dead. You sat on the sidelines while your brothers died?"

"I was _at_ those battles, sir," Tested corrected. "I _fought_ at those battles. I wouldn't expect you to understand as you weren't on the other side."

"So you're a traitor, rather than a deserter then?"

"It doesn't matter what I am," Tested shook his head. "Since when does the Republic bomb civilian targets?"

"There are always casualties in war-"

"The majority of bombing was on civilian targets!" Tested pointed out. "Not that you'd know. You weren't there."

Tested paused, catching his breath. His face felt hot, and his chest was burning in anger.

"I was there!" He continued. "I fought the front lines of every engagement on Remnant. I shot and _killed_ my so called brothers for what they did. All the blood! All the screaming! All the fires in the towns and homes of the people who had done absolutely nothing! I was there as Shash's ARCs killed my team one by one. I watched soldier after soldier fall in defense of their home because some random military had shown up out of nowhere to turn their children to ash! And for what? Some sort of vendetta? Some sort of long term plan? I didn't care! All I know is that now I realize what type of Military this is, and what it's capable of."

Tested didn't even realize he was crying. He wasn't in full sobs, but he could feel the warm tears running down his cheeks, his ears burning red, his legs weakening. The Shadow Trooper General had not changed positions, not because he was unmoved, but the way his head was so perfectly straight and fixated, he was completely taken aback.

Tested swallowed something hard. He didn't know what it was, but it almost got stuck in his throat. He blinked hard, trying to clear the tears from his eyes. He felt defeated, but he has little more to say.

"Shadow and his team arrived on Remnant with no knowledge of a way home, and had to live with it," Tested explained, his voice now in a lower tone. "Shash arrived, and took his vendetta to the maximum there, as he was unsupervised. Trying to maintain their peace, they were forced to fight Shash and his squad. When my team arrived, their team tried to kill us, to hide what they were doing. We had no idea that Shash had a way back to this universe, nor did we know that he was bringing Republic Forces there. In the final battle, Shadow destroyed the portal from our end, stopping Republic reinforcements from wiping us out. We killed the Nova Squad, and we lived there. Aftermath, casualties mounting in the tens of thousands, including Tech Officer Designer, my squad, and the Shadow Trooper known as Titus. End of story."

Tested looked up, almost making level eye contact. He stopped when he met the table. "Now here's the real question," He scoffed. "The gateway between the worlds was closed from our end. How am I back here? And who retrieved me?"

Tested made eye contact and there was a long pause. It was obvious he wasn't going to get an answer, but he tried anyway.

"Your words are moving Sergeant," The General finally spoke. "Yet you have no grounds to back your story."

"Well," Tested almost chuckled. "I never thought I was going to end up back here."

The General's still posture slowly morphed into a looped nod. He cleared his throat, grabbing his data pad on the table and standing up from his chair.

"Thank you for your time, Sergeant." He said as he left the room.

That's when Tested realized that he had suspected to the interrogation. He said exactly what he was supposed to. He had lost. His interrogator had won. All he could do now is sit there and plot his escape.

-Yang 3rd Person POV-

Yang stepped back from the oncoming punch, ducking left and deflecting the punch away. Yang spun left, spinning around to smash her elbow into her opponent's face. He deflected the blow away but Yang didn't let him counter. She continued her spin, swinging her left leg over him as he ducked. He almost didn't expect the second kick as she kept turning and swung her other leg. After her attack was blocked, she didn't try to regain her footing. Still coming out of her last kick with her right leg in the air, she leaned back and raised it, going for a kick to the head. Her opponent blocked the first kick, then the second when she lowered her attack to his side. Her leg dropped into a step as she came forward into a punch. Her opponent deflected it over his shoulder and countered with an elbow, which Yang smashed away, then threw a counter punch. This time he grabbed her hand, turning and pulling it, and her over his shoulder. His other hand went to Yang's shoulder to try and secure an armlock, but Yang was faster, doing a front flip before the grip was secured. Now out of the hold, she shook his hand off her forearm and grabbed his, pulling him into an elbow. His head tilted back, just missing the attack. Yang felt his rear foot meet the inside of her right leg. She was expecting the tug that was meant to send her off balance, but she leaned forward, using it as momentum to front flip. Landing in a crouched position, she spun and swept a leg under her opponent's front leg, sending him into a crouch. Taking the opportunity, she pounced at him, tackling him to the ground. Securing him with a hand to his chest, she raised her fist, smiling in victory.

"Alright," Jared, her opponent had his hands up. "You win."

"Of course I do." Yang beamed as she helped Jared up off the matt.

The two had been sparing in the training room, along with other groups of students present, utilizing the facility. Jared had wanted a hand to hand combat fight.

"I ask again, how are you so good at hand to hand combat?" Jared asked.

"Practice," Yang replied. "Well, that and I hit harder than most."

"Right, your semblance," Jared nodded. "Who taught you how to fight?"

"Well, other than the classes here," Yang explained. "Most of what I know I learned from my dad."

"Well, your dad is probably quite the fighter."

"Oh he'd kick your ass any day," Yang chuckled. "Who taught you?"

"Oh, well," Jared rubbed the back of his head. "My cadet batch was assigned to a bounty hunter. We didn't exactly need to be experts in hand to hand, but just enough to be basic. I can use a blade pretty well though."

"Didn't you get extra training when you joined special forces?" Yang cocked and eyebrow.

"Definitely," Shadow interrupted, standing on the sidelines. "Don't forget the cross training regimens."

"Right," Jared said with some dismay. "Some of us, specifically my batch and Shadow's as well, went under specialized training by ARC Lieutenant N-10 and N-5."

"ARCs?" Yang.

"Advanced Recon Commandos." Jared explained. "Shash and his team were ARC Troopers. Null 10 and Null 5 were better though."

"I thought Shadow taught you."

"Shadow _mentored_ me and helped me out, but all of us went through some specialized training to help us in our line of work."

"What did they train you guys to do?"

"Assassinate, sabotage, provide force recon, spy, etc. Just all the dirty stuff," TJ piped in. "Those two are apparently the most lethal troops in the Grand Army. Anyways, you done Jared?"

"Yeah, we're done," Jared waved him off. "You can take the matt."

"Anyone want a bout?" TJ gestured to team RWBY, plus Shadow, Ren, and Nora who were present. "Ruby, want to learn to use a knife?"

"Aha no," Yang interjected. "Knives are dangerous."

"And Crescent Rose isn't?" Ruby frowned at Yang.

"Well, knives are more unpredictable."

"'Sister's right," Jared agreed. "It's basically hand to hand."

"Weiss?" TJ gestured to her.

"I'd rather use a more civilized weapon." Weiss declined with her usual uptight remarks.

"I just like to hit things with my hammer!" Nora smiled brightly.

"You are asking for pain if you want to spar with her." Ren said in sorrow.

"Hey, where are Jaune and Pyrrha?" Shadow asked.

"Oh, those two like to train in private." Ren replied. "Don't know why."

Yang turned to a resounding thud not too far away.

" _Oww_ ," GT said from another matt, flat on his back. "Good game, Mercury." He nodded as he got up.

The silver haired student grinned and nodded. He rolled his shoulders, dusting off his grey jacket and adjusting his vambraces.

"Anytime." He said as he strolled off to another student Yang knew as Emerald.

"Oh, hey Emerald!" Ruby went over to greet the green haired girl.

"Haven't met them formally before." Jared noted.

"They are visiting students from Haven," Yang stated. "They are here for the Vital festival."

"Right, the Vital festival." Jared nodded. "What, is that in a few weeks or something?"

"Month and a half." Shadow corrected.

"So nobody wants to be on the floor with me?" TJ scoffed. "Really?"

"I'll go TJ," Shadow obliged. "Blade to blade."

"Sounds like a good time." TJ drew his sword and made his way to the matt.

"Me next round!" Nora called.

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

"Welcome to our operations," Torchwick gloated.

The ARCs entered a massive warehouse, filled with dust crates and weapons. The White Fang had been managing the place, with so many Faunus moving supplies around and setting up gear. This was probably the most organized Bane had seen the White Fang, and that was a bad thing. Workers were slow, probably tired. Some were inexperienced, and Bane heard some of the higher ranking Officers scolding their men. Then there were the voices, such young voices. Bane can't really argue due to how young Clones were exposed to combat, but that was after nearly a decade of training. These young adults or even teenagers probably had little to no combat experience whatsoever. It was an amazement that the Atlesian Military was having trouble putting down this insurrection. Bane and the team could put it down in days.

"Most impressive." Viper scoffed as two Faunus dropped a massive crate, letting dust vials spill everywhere.

"Was I not supposed to notice that sarcastic tone?" Torchwick turned back at the ARC Trooper. " _Viper_ , was it?"

"Well, you'd have to be quite incompetent if you didn't notice it," Viper sneered. " _Roman_ , was it?"

Torchwick clenched his jaw and turned his head back to the front, leading the group through.

"Well, I admit," He sighed. "These animals aren't exactly too bright due to our larger expansion on recruitment, but they follow orders."

"Poorly though, it seems," Viper continued. "How did you even get this many armants?"

"Well, that's my value to this group," Roman explained. "These guys are here for equality, and they don't really like people like _me_."

"Humanoids?" Viper looked up at him.

"Well, humans, yeah," Roman nodded. "But the reason I'm worth their time is because I actually have a brain. I mean, you think these guys have been stealing all this dust without me?"

"What's the need for dust when you have Deeces?" A-64 joined in the conversation.

"Well, the guy who supplies those, Rezla, doesn't exactly sell cheap. As effective as the weapons are, it's become increasingly difficult for the White Fang to transport these, as we have lost multiple shipments, and lots of lien along with them."

"One question," Ranger piped in. "The Faunus listen to _you_ specifically?"

"Well, I may be the more prominent leader you have seen, but my boss is actually-"

"Displeased that you are late." A random voice emerged.

Bane looked over to the right, towards the source of the voice. It was a man. No, a younger man. Bane suspected he was around eighteen, no older than twenty though. He had grey hair, partially slicked back while unkempt at the front. He was shorter than Bane and the others. Bane estimated the guy to be 5'10. He wore a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket, covering his upper body. He also wore a single notched belt with what appeared to be a sash or bandana draped over it. Protecting his arms were sets of rerebraces and vambraces. Bane also noticed his boots below his black pants, having metal components and mechanisms that gave him the message that they were weapons. _Odd place to have a weapon_.

"Well, are you gonna keep her waiting, or what?" He sauntered in. His attitude suggested that he didn't exactly like Torchwick. Torchwick seemed to return the favor.

"Hold up you little rat," Torchwick growled. "I'm showing my new friends around."

"Right… _friends…_ " Viper muttered over the squad channel.

The guy looked past Torchwick, donning a face of either confusion or dismay.

" _More_ of them?" He glared at the gangster.

"I answer to _her_ , kid," Roman prodded him in the chest with his cane. "Not to you."

Roman shoved past him, motioning the ARCs to follow. The silver haired guy almost didn't move out of A-64's path, but stepped aside at the last minute. The kid was brave, Bane admitted that, but no one would stand in the way of an ARC Trooper, especially the Alpha Class. The more protective plates, attachable ammunition holders, and extra gear made Alpha ARCs look bulkier. That, along with the way the ARCs naturally stood tall, upright, puffing their chest out slightly to allow the pauldron to sit nicely, made for quite the imposing figure.

Finally, the group arrived at a table near a wall. It looked almost like a makeshift office. Two women awaited them. The guy with silver hair moved past Bane and the group to join the younger one. She had a darker complexion, red eyes, and a light, mint-green haircut with a straight fringe and bangs, as well as two long locks on each side, in the back. She wore two bronze-colored rings on her middle fingers as well as a pair of high-heeled shoes. Her attire consisted of an intricate white top and a cropped olive-colored undershirt, on the back of which is her personal emblem. This was accompanied by white shorts, decorated with a gold coin-plated belt, with four gold chains draping around her back from two of the coins. Her top has thinned, her undershirt a shallow-cut, and her armband and beads seemed to be made of gold. She wore white pants and brown chaps that end at her calves and an overlong belt, twice-wrapped, where she kept her weapons as well as a single pouch.

The other woman seemed to be a bit older, having ashen black hair and bright amber eyes. She wore a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, v-neck minidress with yellow designs and a blue feather-like accessory on her right hip, at the top of an open portion of her dress. There is a baseball diamond-shaped keyhole on the dress' upper back at the same height as her chest. Her sleeves ended in a triangle shape, which are wrapped or tied around her middle finger, with the gold designs of the sleeve taking over at the wrists. She wears black shorts underneath her dress, as well as a black choker on her neck, along with a gold loop earring with a black gem dangling from it on her right ear. She has dark, high-heeled shoes and a jeweled anklet on her right leg. When she turned to face the oncoming group, Bane heard the heels clink against the cement floor. He has never heard shoes sound like that, and suspected it not to be anything he was used to.

"Why are you late?" Her voice was still young as well. Bane would have thought she was in her early twenties, but her tone of voice suggested she was much older, and experienced.

"Like I told your pal over there," Roman replied. "I was showing some of my friends around."

" _Friends_ seems like a strong word." The darker skinned girl raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"Oh look, Emerald," The silver haired man named the dark skinned girl. "He's made more friend to betray him."

"Oh, Mercury," Emerald put her hands to her mouth in sarcastic worry. "Do you think he'll ever learn his lesson?"

"Silence," The other woman ordered the duo. She turned to Torchwick. "Why have you exposed more eyes to our operations?"

"Figured they might be useful assets," Torchwick answered. "I don't know if you have been reading the news in Atlas recently."

"Yet you have no verification that you can trust them, whatsoever?"

"Ma'am," Ranger stepped forward from the line. "We are present and can be directly spoken to."

"Who are you?" The woman asked, in a low and menacing tone.

"I am a Captain and an Advanced Recon Commando in the Grand Army of the Republic, designated A-87, or Alpha 87," Ranger spoke. "This is my team. That's all you need to know."

"No, it isn't," The woman walked right up to Ranger, Bane hearing the clinking of her heels. He began to realize the sound was glass. She stood right in front of the ARC Trooper Captain, staring up into his expressionless T-slit visor. She seemed like she was used to receiving some sort of reaction to her presence, but Ranger did not and would not give her one. "I don't know what your interest or agenda is, or if we can trust you."

"We have no interest in your business, Ma'am," Ranger replied. "We have our own agenda."

"And I'd like to know what it is, _Captain_."

"And I don't think it's any of your concern, _Ma'am_."

"It is my concern," The woman put her finger under Ranger's chin. "Last time, someone like you was helping us, and had their own agenda. In the end, they betrayed us, and delayed my plans."

"Sounds horrible," Ranger replied. "So what?"

"You are not fitting the placement of trust that I am expecting."

"Trust goes both ways, Ma'am, and I don't trust you anyway."

"Then perhaps we shouldn't be speaking," The woman's eyes glowed, almost like fire. "Although," She said as she ran her hand down Ranger's chest. "That also means that you cannot witness what is happening here."

Bane sensed the attack before it happened, but was not fast enough. From his point of view, Ranger's chest exploded in fire, sending the Captain into the cement. Ranger somersaulted backwards onto his feet, drawing his WESTAR M5 slung on his back. Before the woman could strike again though, Bane lunged forward, shouldering her in the chest. She skidded back, the glass on cement skidding in an unpleasant squeak. He sensed another attack. It was Mercury. He had charged into a spring and leapt up into an axe kick. With the guy in mid air, Bane reached his hand out, grabbing him with the force, slamming him into the wall. Anticipating Emerald attacking, he did the same to her. The duo was crunched against the wall behind their leader, Bane slowly forcing them into it, hearing the cracking of the concrete. They struggled to move, but Bane had them secured. On the other hand, the woman hadn't attacked yet, but she was in position to do so, standing dynamically, right palm carrying a bright flame that she seemed ready to throw. She didn't though, as all six of the ARCs had their weapons leveled at her. The woman scowled at Bane, absolutely flustered by what he was doing. Bane simply kept his hands held out, holding her followers securely.

"Your move." Bane stared intently at the woman. Her attention was completely on him.

"Whoa there," Torchwick intervened. "Calm down. Let's work something out. Let's put those guns down."

The woman's eyes still glowed violently, but the fire in her hand dissipated. Bane, sensing that she wasn't going to do any more harm, released Emerald and Mercury. The two came off the wall instantly, both landing in a crouched position. Emerald was clutching her chest while Mercury struggled to stand, watching Bane. Bane heard the ARCs lower their weapons, but they had them gripped tight. They were ready for a fight.

"Alright, thank you for not trying to blow up this place." Roman sighed.

The woman glared at Torchwick, seeming to dislike being ordered.

"Look," Roman turned to Ranger. "I helped you guys get over the water. Least you guys could do is provide us some form of repayment."

"We have our own plans," Ranger stated firmly. "And our own agendas. We don't have time to do so, nor do we care to."

"Perhaps our agendas align," The woman walked closer. "Perhaps we can help each other with this."

"What could you provide that my team could not do?"

"An army," The woman answered. "An army of soldiers willing to follow orders that leads up to any goal their cause is working towards."

"An _army_?" Ripper chuckled from the back of the group.

"This is not an army, ma'am," Ranger scoffed. "This is a decently funded angry mob. If my team is going to work with anyone outside, it will be with _real soldiers_. Since you have nothing left to offer, my team and I will be on our way."

"Where will you go?" Torchwick asked, wide eyed at their response.

"Like I said before," Ranger hand signaled the others out. "None of your business."

The ARCs began to leave, Bane staying behind a few seconds. He was about to try and catch up with the others, but then he stopped, turning back to the woman.

"For the record," Bane spoke in a threatening tone. "I know the reason you are letting us leave."

"And why is that?" The woman asked.

"You seem to be a smart woman. That being said, you know who would have won that fight."

The woman's face was calm, and in only annoyance, but Bane sensed rage within her.

"Don't you forget that." Bane prodded his finger at her from his spot.

Bane turned back to catch up with the team, switching to the squad commlink.

" _Kriffing_ _yialeti'r_ ," Ranger muttered in mando'a

"Dresses like one too." Viper added.

"Quite the bitch, I agree." said Ripper as well.

"What's our play now, sir?" Red asked.

"We hunker down and complete our mission," Ranger said. "Hunt down the _Dar'manda_." There was a slight pause as Ranger turned back to A-64. "64, I have a mission for you."

-GT 3rd Person POV-

GT had it really beaten out on him. Tested being MIA in Atlas was most stressing to him. While he had made his way back to Vale, he had to continue searching. That's why he was at their hideout. GT sat at the computer set up, eyes moving from each of the the three monitors, reviewing security camera footage in loop on two screens, and the last screen being a layout of the street and surrounding areas. For normal humans, this was taxing on the mind, but for a genetically enhanced Clone Trooper, it was normal. Still, his result remained the same in where he was searching. Dead end.

He had checked every possible escape route and ran an ID check on every vehicle that passed by within the few hours. He couldn't think of any other places he could have checked. It was getting so utterly depressing that he now remembered every car from the footage, and almost all their license plates. What was even worse is that he remembered the time frame that they appeared, down to the very minute and second.

GT slumped back into his chair, eying the layout of the area. No one vanishes like this without a trace. _There is never nothing_ , he was so heavily taught in the SBH tracking lessons. _There is always something_. But he could see it. He smashed his fist into the table, letting out a scream of fury, trying to vent some steam. It was better than him waiting to flip the table.

"Anything on the cams?" TJ asked as he entered the hideout, coming down the basement stairs. GT had heard him as soon as the door opened, with dings between the shoes and the metal steps.

"Nothing I can pull up," GT replied in fatigue. "How did it go with the General?"

"Ironwood said that the APB for Tested has been up since we got back to Vale," TJ explained. "No reports yet from his men, however he does admit that Atlas troops have been busy on home turf."

"With what exactly?" GT turned in his chair, annoyed. "It shouldn't take the whole damn military to handle street thugs and the White Fang."

"Past few days have been busy in Atlas," TJ said as he minimized GT's work screens and plugged his scroll into the port. News and incident reports flashed onto the monitors. "The military has been working overtime in securing their assets and searching for their attackers."

"Fifteen assassinations over several days?" GT gasped. "CCT bombing and three downed Atlesian Airships?"

"So far, death toll is at seventy-eight, with about a hundred more in critical condition, and hundreds more wounded." TJ sighed. "I don't think we can count on them for support."

"Odds are just always against us, aren't they?" GT grumbled.

"Well," TJ ran his hand through his hair. "Perhaps we are missing something."

"Still doesn't change the fact that things have been against us," GT stated. "Especially recently."

It really frustrated GT. After defeating the 21st Nova Squad and routing an entire Republic invasion force, one would think that it only gets easier from there. Still, after all that, somehow they aren't good enough to be a step ahead of their unknown opponents.

"So what do you want to do?" TJ asked.

"I don't know," GT stood up from his chair. "Another Atlas mission maybe."

"This weekend?" TJ cocked an eyebrow.

"What better time?" GT shrugged.

"We should ask Shadow for help," TJ suggested.

"I'll alert him of our progress, but he's working a different lead," GT replied. "We can do this ourselves."

"Then we're done for the night," TJ said almost forcefully. GT felt a hand stop him from sitting back down in the chair. "There aren't any more things we could do right now."

GT looked up at his brother, meeting a face that was absolutely serious. GT gave in.

"Alright, fine." He sighed, then closed his work screens.

"Let's head back to Beacon before they close off the docks." TJ motioned. "I refuse to walk."

-Mack 3rd Person POV-

Mack watched helmet cam footage, over and over again. Specifically, the supplied footage from Commander Shashank. That, along with the incident reports had painted a picture of what had happened on their mission. One specific clip he was watching right now was a crashing dropship of some sort. The footage was directly from Shash's point of view, he and two of his ARCs surviving the crash. They climbed their way out barely able to get footage through the smoke. A figure showed up, and it was a Shadow Trooper. The HUD systems displayed him as Titus. The Shadow Trooper drew his sidearm, surveying the crash through the dust. Then Shash charged at him. Two muzzle flashes came from the sidearm, both bolts appearing to miss as Shash jammed his vibrosword into the young Shadow Trooper. The as the clip went on, it caught Shadow rushing in, drawing a sword. Mack couldn't comprehend most of this, as the combat was so fast. A lot of it just demonstrated that Shadow had attacked out of savagery, not hesitating to try and kill Shash. At one point the helmet went tumbling off the wearer, landing in a side view of the lower half of the other two ARCs. Another set of armor from the waist down was seen running away, presumably Shash, then the other ARCs fell. The helmet was picked up and the clip ended.

Mack saw almost nothing wrong with the clip. In fact, he didn't see anything wrong with any of the clips. Evidence wise, this was easily in Shash's favor, but something about what the 501st Sergeant had said was nagging Mack. He had no idea whether he was being biased to his former protégé, but he had been one to trust his gut for a long time. The fact that the evidence was so credible and against his gut really put him in a bit of turmoil. He did not know what to do.

"Hey, boss," Cat walked in the room with Cipher. "You have the time?"

"What is it Cat?" Mack continued staring at the incident report.

"The SC wants to speak with you," Cat replied. "He wants you debriefed on the interrogation."

"Tell him I'm busy," Mack replied.

"You've been doing that for hours now," Cipher commented. "What are you looking at?"

Cipher had been right. As soon as Mack had left the interrogation room, he had sat here in his office in front of a holotable for a good five hours. No wonder CC-088 called for him.

"Something else." Mack responded to Cipher's question.

"Well," Cat shrugged. "Command wants to redeploy us. They are deciding whether to do that in a days along with the 41st for clearing out Kashyyyk, or in a few hours to help the 501st. The boys in blue have taken a lot of casualties going door to door. Civilians are apparently in the crossfire."

"I take it CC-088 wants be debriefed _before_ deployment?"

"He's pissed right now already."

Mack sighed, shutting down the hologram and standing from his desk.

"Alright, I'll talk to him," He slightly grumbled. "Cat, get the squad ready and packed in case they decide to deploy us.

"Yes sir."

-A-64 3rd Person POV-

Alpha 64 had spent the rest of his night locating the home of their targets. The locals called this school Beacon Academy, designed to train warriors and heroes, so they say. Getting into the campus was difficult to say the least, considering he had to stow away on an air shuttle and sneak his way there on foot. The sun was still up, and it would paint himself as a bright white and blue figure roaming around. He wouldn't be able to do any recon tonight. Just observation. The place was heavily fortified, and just eyeballing it, whoever designed the school designed it to be a fortress. Perhaps it did hide something; however, that was not 64's problem right now. His problem was avoiding getting spotted by the small number of Atlas soldiers patrolling the area, and the near one hundred students walking everywhere.

To make matters worse, he would not even be able to do his recon work at night as well, as there was an Atlesian Airship, most likely coordinating patrols. He could totally take them out no problem, but his instructions had been to not draw attention or give himself away. That left him moving along the rocky outskirts for two hours. There was basically one way into the main campus, and it was the main gate. So he was trying to get inside.

Somehow, a few minutes ago, he has been able to sneak into the pond that surrounded the the seating area at the front. His helmet would supply him enough oxygen to last an hour, which is more than he needed. He sat at the edge closer to the pathway, hidden by the reflecting sun that came at just the perfect angle. It was hiding in plain sight. A-64 looked up at the surface for a few moments, making sure no one was watching him, then went back to his data pad. He had been drawing a diagram of the area, marking entry point and any important information required with a stylus. A few times he had to fumble around with his DC-15S Carbine. The blaster was clipped to his belt, and due to its weightlessness in water, it wiggled and nudged his arm every time he moved.

So far, A-64 was coming down to the conclusion that attacking or trying to infiltrate the school would be a tactically inefficient idea. This was a school designed to train warriors, and judging by the incident reports given by the 21st Nova Squad and the little encounter with Roman Torchwick's superiors, they had some sort of power or ability. There is little said of whether this replicates something like the Force, like was Bane has, but security was rather tight, and they were vastly outnumbered. 64 had been outnumbered against immeasurable odds, but he usually had the feeling in his gut of whether a battle was a winning or losing one. Jango had taught him that. He'd taught all the ARCs about self-preservation.

Still, A-64 figured it might not be a bad idea to have something to bring back...

-Ruby 3rd Person POV-

"So then I said to Jared, ' _Shadow Trooper? More like, Shadow's Trooper!_ ' Am I right, guys?"

Ruby sighed, along with the rest of the group. Yang had started making her usual stream of puns, and she would go on unless she ran out, or was interrupted by something important.

"Yang, how do you keep doing this?" Weiss groaned.

"It's because I'm _punny_ ," Yang laughed. "Get it? _Punny_?"

"Well, we're here." Ruby announced.

Team RWBY had been taking a stroll around the city, just after dinner. The sun had just dipped under the horizon and the clouds had carried pink under bellies, accenting the orange sky. The city was relatively quiet at this time, so there were few vehicles roaming the streets and fewer people having a walk. Decorations were up by now, noted by Weiss as being part of the Vytal festival. But they hadn't gone for the more popular central area of the city. They had gone for the section of the town that was hit in the assault on Vale three months ago. It was one of the worst things Ruby had ever seen. She hadn't been in war before, and the whistling of the bombs dropping and the pounding of artillery fire still shook her sometimes in her sleep. Somehow, she had come through that.

"Great, the boring side of town," Yang moaned as they moved along through the newly built and under construction buildings. "I would have rather have been near the shady side."

"Why did you even want to come this side, Blake?" Weiss turned to the Faunus.

"I wanted to see how much progress was made in the reconstruction," Blake replied. "So much havoc was wrecked here."

"Well, it looks like the rebuilding went well," Yang smirked. "No thanks to the _Vale-_ d assault."

"That's horrible." Weiss scoffed.

"What, too soon?"

"Yes, maybe?" Ruby piped in.

"I think this is really a constant reminder of what real life is," Blake added. "Lots of people were hurt."

"It's also a reminder of how out of control things can get so quickly," Yang nodded. "How fragile things really are."

"Nevermind that," Weiss waved them off. "We should be more focused on our studies and preparing for the tournament."

"Well," Ruby shrugged. "There is also Tested, and whatever General Ironwood wanted us to do."

"You think he's alright?" Yang asked.

"Shadow said that they will continue to look for him," Blake replied. "But, GT and TJ have some weary looks on their faces that tell another story."

"You don't think he's…"

"Tested may not be as good as the others," Ruby stated. "But he's pretty brave."

"Yeah," Yang smiled. "How many times has he done something amazing?"

"Threw himself over a grenade, shielded me, Ruby, saved Shadow and dozens of soldiers," Blake counted out. "A lot. I don't think he's afraid to die."

"That is concerning." Weiss commented.

"Well, Shadow said that they were bred to fight, and nothing else," Blake explained. "I really do think Tested is a good example of that."

"Oh yeah," Yang chuckled. "He was so… awkward when we met him…"

"What do you think the guys are doing right now?" Ruby asked.

"GT and TJ went to do some work on the information you guys got from Atlas," Blake said. "I don't know about Shadow or Jared."

"Jared's probably at the gym," Yang raised her eyebrows for a moment, placing her hands behind her head. "Can't say I don't appreciate that."

"Yang!" Ruby hit Yang in the stomach. Yang laughed in response and ruffled her sister's hair.

"Hey, he's my boyfriend," She said. "I can say what I want."

"Really think dad approves?" Ruby frowned at her.

Yang's face seemed to change from chill and easy going to absolute shock and concern. She also stiffened slightly.

"You… haven't told him yet, have you?" Ruby realized.

"Well…" Yang rubbed the back of her neck. "The thought slipped my mind…"

"All three times we went home for the long weekends?" Ruby scoffed.

"Well…"

"Let's change the subject." Blake suggested.

"Dad's not gonna be happy when I tell him." Ruby teased.

"Don't you dare!" Yang pointed a finger at her.

"So, has anyone realized how old Tested, TJ, and GT look?" Weiss brought up. "Shadow and Jared still kinda look our age, but those three look like they should have graduated from Beacon by now. It's a wonder Professor Ozpin hasn't said anything."

"Guess he's not gonna judge puberty." Blake shrugged.

"Hahaha! Good one Blake!" Yang laughed, bending over. Ruby found herself joining in.

"I was being serious." Blake stopped them, however, she was obviously concealing a chuckle.

"Still funny though." Yang pointed out.

"We should probably get back to Beacon now," Weiss said. "We have an early class with Professor Port tomorrow. It's probably the easiest class to sleep through and I would rather show up fully energized.

"Alright," Ruby nodded. "Let's head to the docks. Hopefully there is still an airship available."


	9. Chapter 8

-Jared 3rd Person POV-

"I thought that class would never end." Yang remarked.

"At least we didn't get any homework," Ruby shrugged. "That's much better than what we can say for any other class."

Jared stood alongside GT and TJ. They had been waiting in Team RWBY's dorm with Team JNPR. All three teams wore their school uniforms due to just coming out of Grimm studies. The class had been uninteresting as normal, and Jared was almost excited to see why they were called to meet here. It had been Shadow who called the meeting, saying it was extremely urgent.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jared was not surprised to see the way Teams RWBY and JNPR were handling it. Yang was goofing off with Ruby, Weiss was talking to Blake about some random school thing, Nora was messing around with Ren, and Jaune was trying to prevent it, despite Pyrrha trying to get his attention.

As per usual, Shadow was late, as he always stopped by his dorm to pick something up. Jared made a clicking noise with his tongue when he came in, signaling the others to pay attention. The room shifted to somewhat silence as Shadow came to the center.

"Thank you all for coming." Shadow greeted.

"Well, let's get it through," Jared nodded. "We gotta armor up for Goodwitch's class."

"I'll be detailed and brief," Shadow started. "Last night, I got a call from Yang's source, regarding a sale of Republic Deeces and armaments coming in tonight."

"Our friend Rezla came through?" TJ asked.

"One and the same." Shadow confirmed.

"Where does our mutual friend fit in?" Jared asked.

"He's purchasing some, as planned," Shadow explained. "According to his sources, Rezla is typically at the buy, if he doesn't send anyone of importance to take his place."

"So, Junior draws him out, and we take him down." Yang smashed her fists together with a grin, speaking in a challenging tone. "I like the sound of that."

"Why is the buy called this early?" Jared asked. "Quite last minute if you ask me."

"Most likely Rezla's way of preventing any sort of preparation to bring him down," Shadow replied. "Luckily, we can plan pretty fast."

"So we get to beat people?" Nora piped in.

"Well," Shadow looked as if he was trying to find a better answer, but did not find one. "Yeah."

"We'll break their legs!" Nora held her hands up, quite amused with the thought.

"Moving on…" Shadow continued, placing a little disk on the ground. The disk protected a holographic diagram of some location that was most likely the area where the buy was going to happen. "This warehouse where the sale is being made. Our task is to take down all opposition, secure all Republic weapons, and capture Rezla. We should have more than enough people to get the job done smoothly."

"I take it you have a plan?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah," Shadow nodded. "In order to maximize the capability of containment, we'll need to cover areas of exit. I have no idea if the deal is gonna happen outside or inside the warehouse, but I can assume the main doors will be left open. We'll be split into four teams; Sniper team, Front containment, Rear containment, and splitter."

"I take it we're on Sniper team." GT motioned to himself and TJ.

"You bet," Shadow motioned to a set of buildings. "I want you two set up here and here, across the open at equal spacing from the center. You should be parallel to each side of the entrance so you will be able to have some angle around each opposite corner. Your priority is to make sure nobody makes a run for it. Anyone slips away from the front, turn 'em back or turn 'em to ash."

"I've been waiting to drop some bodies from behind a scope." GT grinned.

"Rear containment team is team JNPR. You guys are entering through the back door of the warehouse. Most combat there will be close quarters or melee, which you guys seem to be more suited for."

"What about us?" Ruby interjected.

"Team RWBY will be front containment," Shadow said. "If you and JNPR press at the same time, you'll be able to envelope their troops."

"So then what are we doing on _Splitter team_?" Jared crossed his arms. "Please don't tell me it's what I think it is."

"Your guess is correct, Jared," Shadow chuckled. "Jared and I will drop down from the roof of the warehouse, basically in the middle of everything. If we get Rezla, the rest of them may surrender."

"Fairly simple plan," TJ noted. "I don't see what can go wrong."

"Perhaps we should be worried if something did go wrong." Weiss disagreed.

"If Rezla escapes, he won't come back." GT noted.

"Then we take him down tonight." Jared stated firmly. "Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora, you guys are probably the least experienced in these types of operations out of everyone in this room."

"Jared's right," Shadow nodded. "It's imperative that you stay focused throughout this mission. They are gonna be hit hard from the front, and they will be looking for a way to escape as soon as the sniper fire starts up. You don't let anyone through the back door. Got it?"

"We won't let you down." Jaune promised.

"Worse comes to worse, Sniper team can provide back up and leave their overwatch positions." Jared suggested.

"Sounds good." TJ nodded.

"Alright," Shadow looked down at his scroll. "Let's get ready for Goodwitch's class. The buy is between 20:00 and 21:00. We'll rendezvous here at 19:00 hours sharp."

"What's 19:00 again?" Ruby scratched her head.

"It's 7 o'clock." Blake answered.

"Right after dinner," Yang commented. "This ought to be fun."

"Okay, meeting dismissed." Shadow concluded. "Let's get ready for class.

-Mack 3rd Person POV-

Mack needed the answer. He needed the truth. Somehow, in spite of all the evidence against it, he had this hope, or faith that Shadow was innocent. Somehow, Mack felt certain that Tested was somehow a loose end, and he was going to tug on it until he got the truth. However, despite what his file said, one very discrediting claim was the fact that he was effectively a traitor. He admitted to shooting down Republic Troops with the intent to harm or kill. He'd also helped divert an entire Republic invasion and was complicit in the loss of fifteen thousand Republic Troops and weapons. If it weren't for the fact that Mack had a feeling Tested was telling the truth about a massive deception, he would have the same punishment that is fated for Shadow and his team; death. This had better truly been a massive deception, otherwise the only way that Sergeant would be leaving this base, is in a body bag.

Mack walked passed the one-way glass, glancing at Tested on the way to the door. While some tie downs had been removed, Tested was still restrained to the chair and table. His head was tilted down, and it was easier to see his face now that the interrogation spotlight had been turned off and the main lights were on.

The Sergeant didn't react in a hostile manner when Mack opened the door, only raising his head to see who was coming. His eyes almost fell to the desk, but he seemed to be resisting to do so, instead keeping his eye line line up with Mack's chest plate as Mack sat down.

"Still have questions?" The Sergeant asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Mack replied removing his helmet and placing it on the table.

"I've got nothing else to say."

"Actually you do."

The Sergeant looked up at Mack, confused.

"You see," Mack clasped his hands, leaning forward on the desk. "I've been treating you like a witness. That's my mistake. How I should be treating you, is as a soldier."

Tested turned his head a bit off center, keeping his eyes on Mack. His face was still in confusion. He didn't seem to understand where this was going.

"Sergeant, mission report?" Mack commanded.

Tested seemed taken aback. He straightened out a bit, eyes meeting Mack for moments, his mouth opening in surprise as he took a deep breath. Then he closed it, exhaling through his nose, letting his shoulders sink back. He seemed to become a bit twitchy, which meant that Mack should press on.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Mack badgered Tested. "Are you not certain I am of correct high ranking status?"

"It's not that, sir," The Sergeant let his eye line drop. "It's just that, I'm worried about what this information will be used for, as a result of what has happened recently."

"Do you know who I am, son?" Mack shifted his position a little bit, tilting his head slightly downward, but keeping his eyes fixated on the Sergeant.

"No sir." Tested responded.

"I am General Mack, CC-174, current Director of the Shadow Black Hole Division in the Special Operations Brigade," Mack introduced himself with utmost authority. "I was the one who sent Shadow's team on their mission, and approved the addition of an ARC squad as a response of their apparent disappearance. As such, I was also the one to order Commander Appo to send your team out there as well. I am completely authorized to hear this information."

Mack leaned forward more, sliding his data pad away. Tested was looking up at him, in shock, but he could tell the Sergeant was nervous that he was disobeying orders.

"For the record," Mack continued. "Shadow was one of my best, and with the proof that has been provided, I was forced to believe he had gone rogue. If there is such a fact that would completely countermand this entire series of events that occurred, I want to hear it." Mack paused again, letting it sink in. "So I ask again, _Sergeant_. Mission report."

Tested took a deep sigh, some things you just couldn't break out of habit. His eyes met Mack's as he sat up straight.

"Sir, upon deployment onto the planet that the SBH and Nova Squad went missing," Tested began. "We were transported by the crystal artifact that seemed to be under the ownership of insurrectionist forces. We arrived in a world called Remnant, and landed in a forest teeming with monsters far different than we have ever seen or encountered."

Mack listened to Tested's story through the forest as he lost members of his squad. While he did pay attention, he was waiting for the encounter with the Nova Squad, which appeared to happen within the city called Atlas. That's when Mack started to really pay attention.

"Our first encounter did not go well with them, as the situation broke down into a chase," Tested explained. "We ended up having to evade the Nova Squad for a few weeks in the city."

"Elaborate on your first encounter with the three ARCs from Shash's group." Mack stopped him. "Why did a firefight occur?"

"Something didn't feel right, sir," Tested bit his lip. "It wasn't much to go off of, but they had explained that their advisor you assigned, Designer had already been killed. With previous events that have occurred between the two groups within the Military before as the they came to butting heads far more than once, I figured it wasn't just a coincidence."

"You're right Tested. That isn't much to go off, so explain the main reason."

"Well," Tested seemed embarrassed. "This is going to sound crazy, but when we were transported by the artifact, it's like the artifact showed me or told me what was going on. I was able to see what was happening and who was in the right. I know that it sounds crazy, but it seemed too convincing to pass it off as a hallucination."

"So you started the fight?" Mack crossed his arms.

"Not exactly," Tested shook his head. "Bringing up the coincidence with the Nova ARC I spoke to, they seemed to act rather suspicious. I was absolutely convinced they were going to shoot us on the spot, so we acted first."

"So, you shot first?"

"On a gut feeling, yes sir," Tested nodded. "My intuition appeared to be correct after a few weeks hiding in the city, as we picked up on street chatter that one of Shash's enemies was being held. That's where we met Shadow, and got him back to Vale."

Then the rest of the puzzle began to fall together. The loss of Tested's team, the uniting with the SBH and fighting off the Nova. What was most worrying was when Tested brought up the fact that Designer was still alive during the entire time that Shash had returned to Coruscant and explained that Designer was dead and that the world was a threat. The Republic's preemptive strike had been a lie. They had sent an entire army to burn a city down and slaughter thousands for no reason other than a lie. Tested also explained the final battle, how they did what they had to. Mack understood why, and a part of him felt grateful that General Kenobi and the Third Systems Army did not finish their transport to Remnant. That would have ended in the destruction of that entire world. Master Kenobi was one to be merciful, but not when the enemy was not willing to surrender.

"The rest is up to now," Tested finished. "I woke up here."

Mack was astonished. This entire story made sense and completely fit the bill. But Mack had trouble believing it, despite his support for Shadow. One thing was crucial.

"Tested, is there any way you can back up this story?" Mack asked.

"Only witnesses sir," Tested shook his head. "I think they would be considered biased though."

 _Damn._ That really put Tested's story at a disadvantage. The fact that Tested also help ward off an entire invasion force by helping fifteen thousand clones go missing did not help either. If there was one person Mack trusted though, it was Shadow. Shadow was trained by him, mentored by him. Mack knew Shadow better than anyone, and he knew in his gut that he wouldn't have done the things that Shash said. If there was _anything_ that said to Shadow's innocence here, Mack was going to pursue it.

"Thank you for your time, Sergeant," Mack stood. "I will be back for further questions."

There was really not much Mack could do with a witness like Tested. He didn't have anything to provide as hard evidence that he was right. Absolutely nothing other than his words could be used in the courts, while Shash had compiled all this video evidence and mission reports. All he could hope to do with this is stall long enough to find the truth. Hopefully, he could convince the Supreme Commander to reopen the investigation on Shadow and his apparent desertion and crimes against the Republic. Hopefully, he could also get the currently dispatched wet team to halt their mission or be recalled for further investigation on the matter. Mack prayed this would work. He prayed he could convince CC-088 to look into this further. If he didn't, those Alpha ARCs would kill everyone there.

Those ARCs were practically death on legs, and with the addition of X-21, Shadow and his SBH were as good as dead.

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

"What's our status?" Ranger entered the command room.

The team had been in a random corner store on the second floor. The bottom had been some sort of bookstore, and it had high defensible capability. They had no idea who it belonged to, just that it hadn't opened in a long time. Best part is that it was in a random street. Low patrols from the local police, and little to no visual of Atlas Military presence. On the top floor of the shop was a small little living area, most likely for the store owner. The other seven floors above the building was apartments.

"Almost set," Spade replied, sitting at a desk with two monitors set up. "Patching in our intel and current online programs now."

The three of them were on the second floor, setting it up as a makeshift command center with all tech and files. Spade had been at the computers all day, frantically typing over the keyboard. Despite their ability to learn so quickly, the technology of this world was so different to their own, and applying the same concepts didn't always work. Luckily, they had obtained some knowledge from their time with Roman, as he and the White Fang had normally supplied the intelligence on how things operated.

"How long till we are fully functional?" Ranger asked.

"We'll be completely set in an hour," Spade answered. "How is the story downstairs?"

"Ripper and I were fortifying the entrance in case we need to defend the place," Ranger stated. "Viper is arranging ordinance and Red is setting up a nest on top of the apartments above us overlooking the streets for patterns in activity," Ranger paused, as if he smiled for a bit under his helmet. "You know how much he likes to aim down the scope of his rifle."

"Am I needed?" Bane was sitting on a long desk, munching on a ration bar, overlooking files on a data pad, helmet off to the side.

"For now, you can finish your meal," Ranger waved him off. "When you're done though, check on Viper."

"Understood." Bane nodded, then looked down onto his data pad. Bane knew Viper was in another room all the way at the end of the hall, using it as a makeshift armory. It was best to keep ordinance a distance from any important areas, such as the command center of barracks. Standard military protocol.

"Knowing your enemy?" Ranger asked, walking over to Bane and seeing the files on the pad.

"Yes sir," Bane replied.

"You haven't read the briefing package already?"

"It doesn't hurt to study and analyze the information."

"There is such a thing as over analyzing though."

"With respect sir," Bane looked up at him. "They managed to stop team of ARCs, and an entire Regiment of Clone Troopers. Perhaps knowing more about them would ensure a victory. Not only knowing their battle tactics, but who they are at their core."

"Right," Ranger turned around and made his way to the door. "If you want the brief version: the Marshal Commander is mentally unstable, the Major is cocky, one twin is a brute, and the other is more calculating. That's who they are at their core."

Bane bit his lip, then looked back down at the data files on the rogue SBH. Ranger was for the most part, right in his analysis, but there was more to know. These rogues have set up their own lives here, and have even joined a school designed to train warriors. That, along with their powers was not an easy thing to overcome. This had to be careful and calculating. Shadow wasn't just an unstable person for no reason. Records show that he was mentally unstable for a clone due to his malfunctions within his growth jar. That, and his position of command demonstrated that he blamed himself for a lot of mistakes, and likes to burden himself rather than others. Jared was far more normal of the bunch, and was quite young for a Clone deployed into combat. Biologically, he was young, but at this point, with his age, he would be deployed. He did seem to be a cocky individual, but he wasn't someone who wasn't exactly exploitable. Same with the calm and collected TJ. GT on the other hand, has taken command roles many time before, but it takes a toll on him. He's a lot more loose than his brother, and more hot-headed at times. That was something to keep an eye on. On top of this information, these troops had lives, and that meant leverage, weaknesses, predictability. And they didn't know they were coming.

But how would he want to do this? For the other ARCs, this was a systematic job for them. For Bane, it was something else. He had served with the 21st Nova Squad before, and was pretty good friends with their leader, Shash, and the Shadow Troopers had slaughtered them. This wasn't a Redemption mission for Bane. This was a revenge mission, and he was going to make it personal.

These _heretics_ would die, the same way Shash did. Painfully, and alone, with absolutely no hope of survival. That was how the fight ended for the Clone Regiment with Shash. That's how it will end for Shadow and his men.

-Yang 3rd Person POV-

Jared had called Yang down to the courtyard leading up to the airships in front of Beacon. She wasn't sure why he had called her, other than getting a scroll text saying: _'Courtyard, now'_. Was this important? Yang didn't know. All she knew is that they were doing a mission in an hour or so, and this was a pretty last minute call.

Yang walked down by the fountains, seeing Jared in the distance. He was armored up, minus his helmet. The only visible weapons on him were his Katanas, so that meant he still had to go get ready for the op. Funny though, Jared stood beside something that was left under a tarp.

Curious, Yang made her way up to him. Jared flashed her a smile and wink when she arrived.

"Hey Jared." Yang greeted.

"Hey, Yang," Jared returned the gesture, with some excitement in his tone. "Glad you could come."

"What's up?"

"I wanted to give you something." Jared replied.

"A gift?" Yang asked. "You didn't have to."

"Well, I figured I should." Jared looked down at the tarp.

"So, what is it?" Yang cocked her head, trying to figure it out from the shape it made.

"Well, I tried my best to replicate the original," Jared explained as he pulled the tarp off. "But I've literally had to go off what I remembered and a few bad street camera angles, so designs should be off by an inch maximum."

"Jared…" Yang gasped as she took a moment to realize what she saw.

In front of her was an exact replica of her motorcycle, Bumblebee. It was the exact same bike model with the exact same flame designs. Glowing flames almost lit up with the sun reflecting the light. Yang felt herself smiling widely. She was in so much joy. She stepped closer, running her hand over the smooth shell. Her hand went for the grip, squeezing tight, letting more of her joy sink into her heart.

"How did you do this?" Yang asked, flabbergasted.

"I rebuilt it from your old one."

Yang turned to face him in shock.

"My old one blew up," Yang stated with concern. "It was a burning pile of metal."

"Well, some parts were salvageable," Jared shrugged. "Super pain in the ass to do though. So technically, it's still your old bike."

"I can't believe you did this!" Yang leaned into Jared, hugging him around his neck. "Thank you."

"I figured it meant a lot to you." Jared returned the gesture around her waist.

Yang let go, turning back to her bike. She still could not shake off the sensation.

"Well, gonna take her for spin?" Jared gesture.

"Do we have enough time?" Yang asked.

"You can give me a ride to our hideout," Jared winked. "Tank's full, so you can totally drive it. Besides, I need to gear up."

"You have no idea how much I've missed this," Yang climbed on and ignited the engine, revving the handle to hear the roar. "Hop on."

"Let's just not do donuts," Jared chuckled as he climbed behind Yang. "It's been awhile since you've driven.

-Blake 3rd Person POV-

Blake walked along the streets briskly. She looked up at the sky beginning to darken and checked her scroll. She had to be back at the dorm in about half an hour. Still, that was not her current heading. She had gotten a message from Shadow, asking her to meet him at the coffee shop they like to go to. Blake found Shadow sitting near the window when she entered. He seemed to notice her right away as she came through the door. She strolled over and took a seat at his table.

"You called me?" Blake asked.

"Here, have some," Shadow offered one of the mugs in his hand. "It's tea."

He slid it across the table slowly. Blake watched him as he took a sip casually. She followed suit, taking a sip of her tea, swallowing the warm contents refreshingly.

"What is wrong?" Blake continued her question.

"Nothing," Shadow raised an eyebrow, looking confused. "Should something be wrong?"

"I figured you called me for a reason."

Shadow scoffed, smiling as he shook his head.

"I didn't think I needed a reason to have some time with my girlfriend." He chuckled.

Blake was slightly taken aback by the sentence. She felt slightly guilty for implying that message.

"Well," She blushed. "It's just that we have to be at the dorms in like-"

"Yes, I know," Shadow nodded. "Which is why we have about nine more minutes before we are off. I figured that we use this time."

"What do you mean?" Blake tilted her head. "We aren't going anywhere."

"We are heading out into combat."

Blake tensed a little when she realized what Shadow meant. She looked directly at his eyes in concern.

"Shadow, we are all gonna make it back," Blake stated. "This is not supposed to be something as difficult as before."

"I know," Shadow sighed. "It's just with Tested not coming back from a mission… well… old habits, I guess."

"Has something been bothering you? Are you having bad dreams?"

"No, nothing is wrong," Shadow waved her off. "I promise."

"I thought you were a better liar than that." Blake became more stern.

She knew something was up. Shadow acted like this before, when he had been secretly sneaking out to track down surviving Clone troopers. She could recognize the patterns now.

"I know something isn't right with you," Blake pressed on. "Why won't you tell me?"

Shadow clenched his jaw and took a look outside the window.

"Look," Shadow sighed. "I know that I do keep people in the dark, and I'm trying to change that, but I am not ready to share. Okay?"

Blake looked at Shadow square in the eyes. What could she do at this point? She can't just force him to share something he is not ready to. She knew how that felt. She wasn't much different. If anything, the bow that she wore on top of her head was the same thing.

"Okay." She responded, then continued to sip her tea.

-GT 3rd Person POV-

"GT, how much ammunition do you need?" TJ frowned at his brother.

GT was all armored up, minus his helmet, wearing his combat webbing and stocking extra ammunition on it. The two had been at the SBH hideout set up in the city. All lethal weapons were kept there, and due to this being a lethal operation, they were gonna need their actual weapons.

"You never know," GT shrugged. "We may be the sniper team, but I think you and I both know to be prepared for a mission."

"I don't think we're gonna need explosives." TJ continued his comments as GT slipped three anti armor grenades for his grenade launcher into three sockets on his right thigh.

"Hey, I'll worry about my load out, you worry about yours." GT held his hands out.

"Right," TJ sighed. "Just making sure they didn't shave a few brain cells off when they cut that mohawk."

"Very funny," GT shot him a glare. "What are you packing?"

"Sword, DC-17M with sniper and assault attachments: three clips for assault and eight for sniper, two thermal grenades, a sidearm, and my wrist blades." TJ listed. "You?"

"Well, sword, DC-17M with all attachments and extra clips for the sniper, three thermal grenades, and this beauty." GT held his _beskar_ dagger he had acquired from the late Sio.

"You still use that?" TJ raised an eyebrow.

"It's a nice knife," GT shrugged. "Besides, you're using Detta's assassin wrist blades."

"Touché."

"Boy have I missed this," GT snapped the sniper attachment on his Deece, flicking the scope on and aiming down the sights. He frowned when he realized how off the sights were after so long not using it.

"Just make sure you shoot straight." TJ stated.

"Oh I will," GT smirked as he adjusted the scope to his liking. He would have to make more adjustments on the field, but it pained him to keep them that out of line. "I most certainly will."

"You spoke to Shadow about the Atlas mission?" TJ asked. "We're leaving in like, three days for that."

"Right…" GT placed his hand on his forehead. "I'll tell him after this. Professor Port has a good way for making you forget important things."

"As long as we don't delay." TJ hefted his sword, finishing his packing by sheathing it on his back. "You about ready?"

"Yeah," GT replied, slinging his Deece against his chest. He secured the holster for his beskar dagger on his left shoulder plate and slid the blade in. "Anything else we need?"

"Rappel gear." TJ looked up, remembering. "Two lines and grips. I'll grab them."

"Are Shadow and Jared gonna use them?" GT asked.

"Well apparently they want to use their _'landing strategies'_ ," TJ held both hands up with his index and ring fingers arched over.

"Maybe we should do that." GT suggested.

"And what, take off our aura before we enter the fight?" TJ scoffed. "I'd rather not jump off a nine story building because I want to practice a landing strategy."

"Team RWBY does it all the time," GT pointed out. "Apparently Ozpin threw them off a cliff on their first day."

"Well, we are training to be Huntsmen, right? That means we should probably start acting like it."

"I'll train to be a Huntsman in my spare time," TJ said. "For tonight, I'm a highly trained and experienced operator."

"Fair enough." GT nodded, then grabbed his helmet. "Let's drop some bodies tonight."

-Mack 3rd Person POV-

"General Mack," CC-088 greeted as Mack entered the office. "I did not expect to see you. The next high command meeting is tomorrow."

Mack saluted on the way in, in which the Supreme Commander waved him off. He removed his helmet, keeping it to his side as he made his way to the desk. The office was a bit more crowded than before, carrying much more paperwork than usual.

"Well, sir, I figured I wanted to speak to you immediately." Mack responded.

"So what brings you by?" CC-088 took a few more seconds of glancing at his computer screen before completely giving his attention. "I assure you, if this is regarding tactical strategy, your squad's redeployment, or administrative requests, it can wait until the meeting."

CC-088 looked tired. He didn't even try to hide it. His eyes were slightly droopy, despite showing interest. Bags hung under them, indicating a sleep deprivation, and his mouth was flat, and sinking, as if it just wanted to fall off his face.

"Actually sir," Mack placed his helmet on the ground beside his chair as he took a seat. "This is about something else."

"Well, I'm currently all tied up in logistics work," CC-088 sighed. "Procurement was bombed several days ago, and we've decided to move civilians from the area. That, along with insurrectionist forces managing to rebuild older CIS Droid Factories has led to oversight on funding."

I assure you sir, it is important." Mack insisted.

"Right well," CC-088 clasped his hands on the desk. "What is it?"

"As you already know of the classified black ops wet team sent to eliminate Marshal Commander Shadow and his group of SBH," Mack began. "Are you aware that the team had managed to bring back a surviving trooper?"

"Yes, I am aware," CC-088 said slightly irritated. "Captain Maze has been keeping me informed."

"Well, it turns out that the circumstances regarding his identity are quite odd."

"In what ways?"

"ARC Trooper A-43 reported that they had found him wearing the armor of a Shadow Trooper that had originally been on Shadow's team," Mack explained. "As for his identity, he is a Sergeant from the 501st, his last assignment being part of a rescue team to investigate the disappearance of the 21st Nova Squad and the SBH squad five months ago."

"And this is important, how?"

"I think it's odd that he had been located at this point in time. Something doesn't add up."

"I'm not following. Elaborate."

"Check this," Mack handed CC-088 his data pad. "Three months ago, the Sergeant had been declared KIA officially along with his entire team with information from Commander Shashank. He had also obtained SBH trooper Titus's armor, in which Titus had been reported killed by Shash. Mission reports indicate that the Sergeant would have been dead weeks before that. It's also odd on how he initially reacted to the ARCs, reported being hostile."

"What are you getting at?" CC-088 studied the data pad. "Are you calling Shashank a liar?"

"I'm saying that the story he told does not appear to be completely true." Mack replied.

"What else do you have to back up this theory?"

"A witness, sir. During a debrief, the Sergeant needed to be restrained. As he was uncooperative with his initial speakers, I had interrogated him personally, and had been provided reports that do not line up with Commander Shash's story."

"What was his side of the story?"

"He reported that Commander Shashank had deviated from orders and had made an attempt to eliminate Shadow and his team, coming to terms with deceiving us into sending an army there to help him," Mack continued. "He had also reported that Shash had tried to take out any witnesses who found the truth, including the 501st team and their attached advisor, Tech Officer Designer. "

"And what can he support this massive claim with?"

"Nothing sir," Mack shook his head. "All he could give me were words."

"Then you should be aware that Commander Shashank had been able to provide evidence to support his story," CC-088's jaw thickened. "This Sergeant comes back wearing SBH armor that had belonged to a member of Shadow's team, claims that Shashank had been the traitor this whole time, and cannot prove it with anything but his _memory_. Did it occur to you that this Sergeant had gone rogue as well, and had been sided with our enemies?"

"Yes, in fact it did," Mack bit his lip. "I did come to that conclusion at a point. He even admits to working with Shadow's group, and also admits that he had been complicit in the disappearance of the entire Regiment sent to Remnant. Despite this, he also claims that these actions had been in self defense and because they had been betrayed."

"Claims or not, if he had been part of those tragedies, why haven't you dealt with him?" CC-088 slid the data pad back to Mack across the desk. "With no evidence to back his story, how can he expect to believe him when Shashank had been able to provide detailed mission reports along with video evidence? This is a rather simple matter."

"All due respect sir," Mack said patiently, slightly annoyed. "Despite Shash being capable of providing proof to back his story, these inconsistencies are something that should be looked at."

"What are you suggesting, Mack?" CC-088 tilted his head.

"I'm suggesting reopening the investigation on the Remnant incident," Mack requested with absolute confirmation. "I believe these inconsistencies are ample evidence to have another look at what really happened, and call a halt on the wet team until we truly figure out what is going on."

"General Mack, we had already closed this investigation three months ago," CC-088 sighed. "As you may notice, we do have more pressing matters at hand."

"Yes sir, but I believe it would be a waste of resources to eliminate innocent troops sir," Mack pointed out. "Special Forces aren't in big supply these days."

"What makes you think that Shadow and his group are innocent?"

"The anomalies I had just mentioned, sir."

"Do you think that perhaps your judgement may be clouded on this matter, General?" CC-088 leaned forward in his chair.

"My judgement is clear, sir." Mack responded, still maintaining his patience.

"Listen, Mack. I am aware of your past history with Shadow, as you did take him under your wing for the majority of his time entering the Special Operations Brigade, and that you would think that you know him and who he is, but you have to look at the facts-"

"Sir," Mack almost smashed the desk, letting his hand impact lightly with his palm. "I am looking at the facts, and inconsistencies with provided facts and evidence lead me to believe that we have been lead astray and that Shadow and his team are in fact innocent-"

"-Innocent?" CC-088 stood from his chair, obviously annoyed with Mack's interruption. "If the term _innocent_ is what you use to describe the rogue SBH, then I'm afraid that your judgement is indeed clouded. The facts state that these SBH diverted an entire Republic Operation, and that due to them, more than fifteen thousand Republic Troops, weapons, and personnel have been destroyed or captured. This is a massive blow to the Grand Army of the Republic, and is an act of treason at best."

"Sir, I'm sorry I've upset you," Mack took a moment to try and calm the air. "But this is breaking protocol? Hunting our own men-"

"Don't talk to me about protocol, General," CC-088 snarled. "I'm the Supreme Commander here."

"And I understand that the job comes with a lot of trouble," Mack clenched his jaw. "And I'm sorry to bring you more, but if you are uninterested in opening up the investigation once more, I would be happy to handle it."

"No," CC-088 shook his head. "I will not authorize a wild bantha chase."

"Sir, I can handle this investigation," Mack began to lose his patience. "I could deal with every last detail."

"It would be a waste of resources to approve this, Mack."

"But-"

"In fact, I don't want you to look into this any longer," CC-088 stated clearly. "I will restrict access to files if necessary to impede your task."

"Sir!" Mack bounced right out of his chair and onto his feet like a freight train that was meant to tackle the Supreme Commander, but ceased as soon as he stood up straight. "That's fucking outrageous!"

"Excuse me?" CC-088 growled back.

"You are gonna stop me from trying to prove one of my men innocent? Going to far as to restrict files from _me_? Out of all people, _me_? One of the heads of the Special Operations Brigade, dealing with both internal and external intelligence, having the ability to clearance for all files? _Me_? For what?"

"If you are not going to watch your tone," CC-088's voice became low and menacing. "Then at least mind your words, _General_."

Mack realized he had crossed a line. He hadn't been this angry before, nor had he gone this far with the Supreme Commander. This was borderline insubordination. He was certainly out of line this time. He took a deep breath, letting himself cool before speaking again.

"Sir, please," He spoke. "I beg you to reconsider-"

"No," CC-088 shook his head, his voice still low. "We will not continue this discussion, and you will not go near this matter at all. Your clearance on the files will be revoked until the situation has been dealt with."

Mack could feel it now. CC-088 wasn't demoting him, but he might as well should have done so. Mack was at the point where he could access any secret the Republic had. That was an honor and a privilege for him. Now, he had just lost it.

"Furthermore," CC-088 continued. "You will no longer be able to monitor progress of the ARC team under the command of A-87 and access any of their mission related files. You are to prepare your squad for immediate redeployment and will be confined to the Arca Company Barracks until tomorrow's meeting."

CC-088 paused, making sure he had Mack's attention.

"Am I clear?" He asked.

"Sir," Mack responded behind gritted teeth. "Yes, sir."

"Very well then, dismissed."

Mack made a quick salute, waiting for it to be returned by the Supreme Commander before replacing his helmet and leaving the room. He was honestly defeated at this point. Now he had no way to slow things down. If Shadow was innocent, Mack had a very limited amount of time to help him. Should he help him? Mack didn't know. Could he help him? That was a different question entirely. There was only one thing he _could_ do, but it was crazy. _Very_ crazy.

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

 _In through the nostrils, out through the mouth._

 _Breathe in, breathe out._

Bane may have been a soldier, rather than a Jedi, but as this was taught to him over and over again, he still had to meditate. To meditate was to quiet one's mind, attune one's senses, and clear any sort of stress on the conscience. Bane, however, meditated for only one purpose: sharpening his connection to the force. A Jedi's skill or mastery of the force depended on their focus and clearness of their mind, body, and soul. Bane doubted he had anything to create some sort of stress to hinder his ability, but the force was different. Like any tool, it had to be sharpened, and to do so, was to meditate.

 _Breathe in, breathe out._

While he could admit, that meditation was quite peaceful, and allowed him to see the world differently and more clearly, Bane honestly thought it was a waste of time. To meditate was to sit in one place and essentially do nothing. No progress on your task. No accomplishments being made. No sort of extra benefits are given. Bane hated sitting around while there was something to do. Even sitting around, he couldn't plan because he had to keep his mind clear. So, because he disliked it so much, he treated it as a standardized task. It was a task no simpler than he sharpening a blade or cleaning a blaster. He was strengthening, or sharpening if you will, his connection to the force. He was ensuring that every part of him was fit for combat.

"Come in." Bane said aloud, sensing a presence outside his quarters.

"Bane, Ranger is calling us up."

It was Viper. Bane didn't need to open his eyes to know. Regardless, he did, seeing the ARC trooper standing in full armor. Bane didn't notice till now that Viper had much more bulk, carrying many more holsters for ammunition and weapons. He even had a slot on his back for a rocket launcher.

"I see you haven't gotten around to redecorating," Viper commented. "Not that you had much to work with in the first place."

Bane knew what Viper meant. The room had been quite old, with multiple cracks and holes in the white plaster. Green substance lay on the corners, and a little bit on the ceiling. A noticeable hole in part of the frame told Bane that there were mice here. The floor was the best part, despite the fact that a few wooden planks were missing and scrapes were everywhere. It was also a little damp in one corner, probably meaning a pipe leak. Still, Viper had been referring to Bane's gear. He didn't need to live in a five star resort, but Bane had not yet set his gear up, leaving his rifle, communications gear, helmet, and multiple tools everywhere. He hadn't even placed his kama and pauldron nicely when taking them off to meditate. He would get onto that task soon. _First things first_.

"I had other things going on." Bane stood up.

Bane could sense Viper's expression behind his helmet. So the disturbed tone was not surprising when he said, "I never took you as one to be a spook."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," He shrugged. "It's just that Jedi normally meditate, and despite you being able to use… it… I didn't expect-"

"I do what I need to," Bane ended the discussion. He knew that other clones got weirded out when talking about the force. Seeing and believing were two different things. "What is Ranger calling us for?"

"64 is back from recon," Viper explained. "We might mobilize tonight. He's gonna brief us."

"Understood," Bane nodded. "I'll be right there."

Viper nodded and departed down the hall. Bane reached to grab his pauldron, slipping it over his head and securing it. He clipped his kama and sidearm holsters on, then slipped on his helmet. Bane double checked his belt, feeling for the hilt, then strolled out to the Command Center. The team was waiting for him: Ranger stood on one side of the rectangular table, with Viper, Spade, Ripper and Red on the other, all lined up parallel to the Captain. A-64 stood on a side closer to Ranger. Bane approached and joined the majority.

"Gentlemen, let's get started," Ranger announced. "A-64, you can tell them what you told me."

"Good news and bad news," A-64 started as he placed his data tablet on the table for everyone to see, tapping a button for the holographic feature. "Starting with the bad news, I was unable to provide a proper Reece of the area. I was only able to get the surroundings. The position was too heavily fortified to sneak into the campus with a denser and above average population of students and increased Atlesian Military patrol units."

"When has a denser crowd stopped you?" Viper asked.

"The locals student population is much higher than before and will continue to rise as more arrive," A-64 explained. "Some sort of large, world wide festival is to happen in a month or so. Either way, the best entry point is through the main doors," He pointed at a highlighted area. "With so many aerial patrols and sentries, trying the walls is useless."

"So you were unable to find our targets or at least get a layout of the campus?" Ripper asked. "Well, then what good news is there?"

"The good news is that I located one Shadow Trooper," A-64 said. "I found him in the courtyard. FOF tag lit him up as the Major. He appeared to be with a female acquaintance."

"Off topic," Red stopped the brief with slight humor in his tone. "Was she hot?"

"People appear to dress more freely and explicitly around here, as it's their culture to express themselves," A-64 didn't give Red the answer that he wanted. "I believe we would call her, _skimpy_ , or more politically correct, _outgoing_."

"Somebody's been doing their reading on local culture," Ranger sounded pleased. "Continue."

"Wait, hold up," Bane interjected. "You had a shot on one of our targets and did not take it?"

"Like I said," A-64 replied patiently. "With multiple sentries, increased aerial patrols, and tightened security, I wouldn't have been able to sneak out of that. Besides, I'd be in a courtyard full of young adults training to be warriors."

"Didn't Spade kill like, seven hundred of the monsters that these _warriors_ are training to fight?" Viper cocked his head.

"It was a good call," Ranger nodded, flashing a glare at Viper. "Better to take them all by surprise than one by one. Taking out the Major right there could have alerted them to being targets, and raise security around themselves, making the job harder."

"That still doesn't give us any sort of Intel other than confirmation of where our targets are staying."

"But the fact that he was armored up, is," A-64 pointed out, waiting for Viper to be intrigued before continuing. "Only reason I got the FOF tag was because of his armor. Now, he and his girlfriend were taking transport to the city. I know they are training to be warriors, but I am pretty sure anyone would find it odd to go into a civilian zone wearing full armor."

"You're suggesting that there was a reason he was armored up?" Bane asked.

"On the hunch, I decided to ask Spade to see if there is anything in particular going on tonight in the city," A-64 continued. "Considering we still had previous information from Torchwick about his operations, we know that our mutual friend with the white mask is selling weapons. Large opening for crime lords and gangs to come by, with lots of Deeces and Republic issue ordinance. Given that Captain Ranger and Ripper engaged at least one of our targets during our grab at the weapons cache from the island-"

"It would stand to reason that our targets will be trying to stop this weapons deal going on tonight," Bane concluded. "Good thinking."

"Assuming these guys like teamwork as much as the rest of us, all our targets should be in the same place." Spade added.

" _Emuurir gi o'r a caratr_." Ranger nodded.

"What's the play?" Ripper asked.

"Spade, when is that weapons deal happening?" Ranger looked at the ARC.

"An hour, maybe less." Spade looked down, as if he was trying to remember.

"Get me a layout of the place and how long it will take to get there," Ranger ordered. "A-64, contact Torchwick. Tell him that our mutual friend is about to have company. Maybe he can back out. Everyone else, grab whatever you need from the armory and lock and load. We're hunting tonight."

" _Oya!_ " The ARCs cheered, then went to do their tasks.

"Sir, may I ask you something?" Bane stopped Ranger as the others cleared out.

Ranger paused, turning towards Bane in a slightly annoyed fashion. He tilted his head in acknowledgement that he was listening.

"Permission to focus on a single target, sir?" Bane asked.

"I don't see the need, considering we have four." Ranger shrugged.

"I want the Marshal."

Ranger looked as if he was scanning Bane. No, he was scanning Bane. Bane could sense the ARC Captain deciding whether to agree.

"We don't call dibs on our targets, Bane," Ranger stated firmly. "I know you haven't worked with me before, but on my team, this is a _team_ effort."

"All due respect sir," Bane didn't back down. "He killed my friends."

"This is a mission, not a personal vendetta."

"Actually, it is, sir," Bane pointed out. "If you analyze the mission parameters, it is a vengeance op."

"It's not our vengeance."

"Sir, please." Bane lowered his tone, trying to convey he was begging for this.

Ranger stared at him through the visor for ten whole seconds before speaking.

"You don't get tunnel visioned," Ranger ordered intently, prodding him in the chest. "If I call you, you come. You don't compromise the mission and the safety of this team. _Understood?_ "

"Yes sir." Bane changed his voice, making sure he was sounding grateful.

Ranger pushed once more with his finger, making sure he made his point before leaving to do his task. Bane didn't take it personally. What he took personally was his long time friends in the Special Operations Brigade being slaughtered by a team of rogue SBH troopers. Tonight they will pay. In full.

-Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Jared, Shadow, GT and TJ Collective 3rd Person POV-

Ruby edged up on the side of the street. She and the rest of her team remained relatively hidden. The warehouse was basically in the open, with a massive pavement square at the main doors. The doors were left open, revealing the low lit interior. Ruby was unable to see much inside, but she did see many armed guards on the perimeter of the foundation. The closer it was to the main doors, the denser the population was. A lot of prospective buyers had shown up, and they had brought their own guards, their dust rifles glistening against the moonlight.

"Do you see anything, Blake?" Ruby asked her Faunus teammate.

She looked back at Blake, seeing her yellow cat-like eyes zeroing in on her targets. Blake had the best eyesight out of all of them, despite her having to squint.

"I see lots of people," Blake responded. "From this angle, I see eight that we will have to deal with."

"Eight?" Yang scoffed in laughter. "That's really nothing."

"I said that's all I saw from this angle." Blake repeated. "There could be a lot more inside."

"We can take down the eight guards first, then move in." Ruby stated, then pulled out her scroll, switching to the link that the SBH and Team JNPR were on. "Team RWBY is in position." She announced.

"So is Team JNPR." Jaune responded over the link.

Jaune was on the other side of the property, only the crossing of a road from the back door. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were right behind him. Pyrrha had her shield in her left hand, her right hand on her rifle, letting the barrel rest on the opening of her shield, sweeping the area for danger.

"No guards on our entry point," Jaune reported. "We're ready to go."

"And anxious!" Nora groaned, only to be silenced by Ren.

"Sniper team, what's your status?" Shadow called over the comms.

"Just finishing set up." GT replied.

"As am I." TJ added.

GT was atop one of the tallest buildings across the property and street, further to the right facing the door, while his brother was in a similar setup, except towards the left. He had just secured his rappel line, drilling his anchor into the cement roof, and was currently readying himself to sniper position. He laid flat on his back, reconfiguring his Deece into its sniper mode, snapping on the required attachment into place. Making sure all the firing settings were calibrated correctly, he rolled onto his belly, spreading his legs in a wide V to steady himself. He propped up the barrel on his duffel bag as a support. In this range, a bipod would have been too stiff, but he still had to be steady with his shots.

GT hit a switch and the scope propped up, the holographic scope lining up with his Heads Up Display. That's when he began to calibrate the sights.

"TJ, have you got wind and range yet?" GT asked over the comms.

"You're slow at setting up," TJ teased in reply. "Range is four hundred meters. Wind shouldn't matter, unless you're trying to hit fleas."

"Copy that." GT acknowledged as adjusted the scope properly. "Give us some targets RWBY."

"We can take out the eight guards on the perimeter," Ruby stated. "Are there anymore near the sides of the main doors?"

"Yep," TJ answered. "Two sharpshooters, one on each side of the entrance. Two more inside on the upper catwalks. At this angle, we can only hit their feet."

"We'll cover you from any unexpected surprises from the tangos inside," GT added. "I think we'll leave the upper catwalks to _Splitter_ team."

"Understood," Shadow agreed over the commlink. "Splitter team in position."

Shadow and Jared had taken the long way around, circling the place until they found and opening to sneak through. Due to there being so many hostiles, it had been nearly impossible to do so. The moonlight didn't help them at all, as it made two dark armored figures slightly easier to see against the urban environment. It took five minutes to reach the base of the building. The hard part was firing the grapple line to the roof without being seen or heard within the few seconds they had before a patrol man came by. Twenty minutes had gone by for the operation and they hadn't killed anyone until they reached the unavoidable encounter on the roof.

When Shadow had heard the Sniper team get in position, he had just killed one of the two guards on the roof. Shadow still had the body in his hands, grabbing the user's rifle before it hit the ground. He laid it slowly to the roof. The man's face was still in shock, eyes and mouth wide open, maintaining the same expression that he had when Shadow had jammed his wrist mounted kyber crystal blade up his throat and into his skull. If one looked closer, they would see the smoke rising from the man's mouth, as a result of the seared flesh in his throat.

Shadow heard Jared cuss over something on his flank. Shadow whirled around, hand on his Deece to investigate.

"What's wrong?" Shadow demanded.

"Made a fucking mess," Jared sighed. "May have gone a bit overboard with the cut."

Shadow looked down at Jared's lap. The body of the other guard was there alright, but his throat had been cut all the way through, slitting open all the major blood vessels. Blood was all over Jared's hand, completely covering the vibroblade. His lap, from the mid thigh down, was dripping and oozing with the dark red substance, staining the black plastoid.

"Just go for the jawline and jab upwards next time," Shadow chuckled quietly. "Don't bother slitting the throat."

"Well, it's been awhile since I've had to slit someone's throat," Jared replied in defence. "It's not like you stopped."

"Just get ready to drop." Shadow waved him off with his whisper.

Another problem that Shadow had discovered right now with the hood was that he couldn't communicate without risk of being heard. Having a helmet was to be safe in another world, especially when you turn off your helmet speakers and seal it. You could scream at someone as loud as you can behind a sealed helmet, and they wouldn't hear you. Great for stealth operations, but the downside was possible insubordination. Shadow imagined how many times a Clone Trooper replying to their officer with "Copy that," could have been something else entirely different behind the bucket. Still, his communicative device was his earpiece.

"Sounds like all teams are in position," Jared stated as he stood to the edge of the roof at the front of the building. "Shall we shake up their party?"

Shadow flipped his thermal imaging filter on his HUD. Looking down below. Place was packed, and he couldn't even identify how many were armed. He also couldn't locate their target.

"Anyone got eyes on Rezla?" He asked over the comms. "Sniper team, you have the best angle of sight inside."

"Negative." TJ replied.

"Nothing on my scope." GT also replied.

"We'll probably see him once we thin the crowd." Jared suggested.

"Alright," Shadow sighed, edging up to Jared's jump spot, keeping his commlink on. "Commence the operation. All teams, move in."

"Let's go!" Ruby motioned her team, springing forward, firing a shot from Crescent Rose to launch her.

With her combined momentum and speed, she covered the ground before the closest guard could raise his rifle, leaving rose petals in her wake. She swung Crescent Rose around her left and smashed her opponent away. She looped around, hooking her Scythe under her next opponent, sending him up and into the pavement.

Weiss lunged as well, coming up on Ruby's flank, combining her glyphs and dust with her attack. She struck in the general area of two more gunmen, the dust and energy discharging in one shockwave, throwing the hostiles meters away. She sent a glyph behind her, right below Blake.

Blake used the glyph left for her, letting it provide a launching platform. Gambol Shroud came from its sheath in her hands, forming into its kusarigama form. Blake arched herself in mid air, directing her body at two attackers. They had already levelled their rifles, firing away. They only hit the empty copy Blake had bounced off. She landed completely at their blind sides, sending Gambol Shroud forward. It wrapped around one of the gunmen's rifles. Blake lept and pulled the ribbon attached, sending herself into the gunman. Blake was about to maneuver around to avoid the shots from the last man, until Yang came behind him, slamming blows up his back. Yang reached around and grabbed him by the chest, throwing him down to the pavement.

The team whirled around to face the last two, only to see two blue streaks go through each of their heads, followed by two cracks. The Twins were excellent snipers. Team RWBY moved towards the warehouse, still hearing the cracks of the sniper rifles providing cover fire as they got closer and closer.

Shadow and Jared jumped down, using their aura to negate damage taken. Immediately, their eyes were on the shooters on the catwalks, placing careful, three round bursts into the four rifleman. Their rifles came level with the crowd in front, as every gangster, criminal, and thief shifted in response.

"Gentlemen, don't try anything!" Jared announced. "It's been awhile since I've shot something and I'm really looking forward to juicing my trigger fetish."

"Hands up!" Shadow barked. "We're here for Rezla!"

Two bursts and body falls to his right told him that Jared had taken down two stupid heroes.

"Anyone else want to be stupid?" He taunted.

The cluster of men did not move, but Shadow's instincts still picked up their desire to draw a weapon and fire. His HUD started filing through every facial profile he could, running it against the Vale person database. Of course, the majority of them were lower class criminals, or even petty thieves. Most of them were there to act as muscle.

"I won't ask again!" Shadow warned. "Where is Rezla?"

All of a sudden, a loud screeching filled the air for a few moments. Shadow recognized it as microphone feedback, but it wasn't his earpiece, nor was it on anyone's comm feed. Shadow cringed lightly as the noise passed through his ear drums, threatening to rip them apart. When it finally stopped, everyone in the warehouse was on their knees, clutching the sides of their heads. Shadow quickly raised his rifle, scanning the source. It was the PA system built into the warehouse. Directly after the feedback, a familiar voice took its place.

" _Rezla_ isn't here," The voice boomed. "But _we_ are."

Shadow's stomach dropped when he heard the voice, and it wasn't because the voice was unbelievably loud; it was because he knew that Concord Dawn accent from anywhere.

"What the hell was that?" Jared muttered, sounding as if his teeth were gritted.

"Shadow, what's going on down there?" GT asked over the comms. "We heard that from here."

"It's a trap!" Shadow announced. "Abort! Everybody, Abort now!"

That was all he could say before a wave of heat sent he and Jared flying.


	10. Chapter 9

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow just started spraying. He hadn't fully regained his bearings and wasn't ready to process what was happening. Training is what got him to crawl for his Deece and open fire. He didn't even control his ammunition, just wasting his magazine as a form of suppressive fire. Finally, his vision began to clear and he entered reality. He was on both knees, one handing his Deece. His body hurt all over, specifically the back of his right shoulder and neck. That was probably what he had landed on seconds after he was sent into the air.

Shadow slid his empty magazine out, replacing it with a fresh one as he got onto his feet. He stopped firing, levelling his weapon everywhere. He had figured out what hit him; It was a rocket. The question was who fired it. He scanned the crowd in front of him. He and Jared had opened up on the gangsters, killing around a dozen. They were retreating into the warehouse now, weapons out, returning fire.

"Damn it!" Shadow heard Jared edging up behind him. "It's a trap!"

"I honestly doubt these gangsters were smart enough to set this up!" Shadow remarked as he fired off a few bursts.

"Shadow, move!" Jared yelled.

Shadow felt his comrade tackle him, only to have a wave of heat wash over them. Shadow sprawled over the pavement, getting to his feet as fast as he could. Jared was already up, laying down some suppressive fire. He was also giving orders on comms.

"Where the hell are those rockets coming from?"

-GT 3rd Person POV-

"Shadow, Jared!" GT called over the commlink. "What's going on down there?"

Gunfire had started up, and GT and TJ were already laying down some cover fire, but something was wrong.

"Sniper team, hostile rocket trooper!" Jared's voice came loud and clear. "Unknown location!"

"I don't see him." GT gritted his teeth, fanning his scope everywhere. "TJ?"

"No." TJ replied.

"Team JNPR, get in there!" Shadow barked. "RWBY, we need some support."

"We're going in!" Jaune stated.

"Coming to assist!" Ruby acknowledged.

Another rocket explosion nearly killed Shadow and Jared. This time, GT tried to trace the shot. He cursed himself when he failed to do so.

"Wait, I got him," TJ said. "Back of the warehouse. You can get an eye line through the top right window."

GT lined his scope up. Sure enough, a figure stood in the shadows at the rear of the warehouse. He seemed to be standing on a pile of crates.

"Yeah, I see him," GT zoomed in more. "Looks like he is using a _Plex_."

"I don't care, take him out!" Jared exclaimed.

"Opening fire." GT announced as he pulled the trigger.

He and TJ fired consecutively, one at a time. The figure ducked as the first few shots flew. Then he popped back up again, this time his silhouette looked as if he were looking straight at GT. A flash of light from his PLX-1 told him why. GT rolled to his feet and dived away from the edge of the roof, the rocket taking the entire section he had been occupying moments ago. He turned to his right, seeing a similar case happen to TJ.

"We're compromised." TJ sounded like he had the air knocked out of him.

"Down the lines?" GT asked.

"Yes, _go, go, go_!"

GT hooked his Deece to his belt and attached his steel grip to the already set up rappel line. As soon as it was secure, GT leaped off the roof, fast roping down the building.

-Jaune 3rd Person POV-

Pyrrha was the first one to go, bashing through the rear door with her shield Akoúo first, with Miló in rifle mode. She fanned the area as the rest of the group entered. As expected, they caught a lot of gangsters by surprise. Also as expected, Nora was the first to attack. In multiple long swings she swung around her torso, waist and head, she knocked down eleven attackers immediately. Ren went next, spinning into two kicks to take out four more. Jaune actually didn't find him doing much work. He mainly kept his shield up giving callouts to the rest of the group.

"Ren, behind you!" Jaune called out to his teammate.

Ren turned, seeing his attacker with a rifle. He leapt up into a backflip, landing behind the shooter, then launched his knee up to the attacker's jaw as he turned. Shots started coming down at them from the ceiling. Jaune raised his shield, peeking over when he had the chance. _The catwalks_.

"Nora, up!" Jaune ordered.

Nora rolled out of cover into a crouch, her hammer folding itself into a grenade launcher. As soon as it leveled with her hip, she fired at the catwalks. Pink dust explosions rattled the catwalks, breaking them off their supports and sending them tumbling down. Jaune moved behind a large stack of crates to avoid the debris.

"Jaune, look out!" Pyrrha called.

Jaune turned to three swordsmen, raising his shield to block the first blow. He stepped back, avoiding the second. These men had lots of denim on them, and did not seem to be proper. Their attacks were unpracticed as well, looking like random gangbangers off the street. Good thing Jaune had been training though.

He charged unexpectedly this time, bashing one man in the chest and sending him onto his back. He slashed at the second one, spinning to backhand with his shield, then ended it by slamming the hilt of his blade to the side of his head. By the time Jaune turned to face the third, Pyrrha already had him in a headlock with her spear. She spun around and threw him off, sending him into a pile of crates.

The catwalks created more of a maze than the warehouse was before, some landing diagonally to block off paths and raise walls. It was too easy to separate. The team was stronger together.

"Guys, stay together!" Jaune called out to his team. "Don't get separated-"

Jaune's command was cut off by a hard hit to his jaw. He didn't know what hit him, but it was strong. He fell onto his side, vision blurry, striving to look up. He couldn't see in detail, but he would have bet anything that it was one of those Clone Troopers standing over him. He was huge. Jaune had fought them before, but this guy was noticeably buffer.

"Jaune!" Ren called out as he passed right over Jaune in a jump kick.

The Clone stepped sideways, avoiding Ren. He drew two weapons, seeming to look like some sort of SMGs, lining up on Ren as quickly as possible. Luckily, Ren was fast. Ren dashed forwards and lept up, swinging his right leg right, then left, knocking the SMGs to safety. Strobes of yellow light flared as the Clone tried to aim again, this time, pulling the trigger. Ren pushed the guns up to the ceiling, the SMGs hitting the lights above. Glass came down, along with sparks threatening to light the area on fire. Jaune raised his shield above his head in protection, still keeping an eye on Ren.

From here, he could see the Clone clearly. He had white armor obviously, but had a bulkier version, the helmet having a more simple and sleek T-slit visor. He had some sort of eyepiece over his right eye and blue markings throughout his arms and helmet. He wore a pauldron, similar to Shadow's, but thicker, having some extra armor plating and ammunition pouches over his arms and chest. Around his legs, he wore some sort of… _skirt_? It was also similar to what Shadow had, except this was longer and had its ends attached to his ankles.

Ren came forward, slashing left and right at the Clone's torso with the blades mounted on his Stormflower SMGs. The Clone took one hit, the blade seeming to only graze his armor, then stepped back. Ren spun into a sidekick but the Clone saw it coming, bringing his forearm to block the kick. He jammed the barrel of his other SMG into Ren's torso, knocking Ren to a crouch, then booted him in the face.

Seeing the opportunity, Jaune attacked, coming forward into a swing. The Clone turned right towards Jaune and knocked the oncoming sword off its intended path. His other weapon lined up on his hip and opened fire. Jaune's torso would have been filled with lasers if Pyrrha hadn't gotten in the way with her shield. The Clone kept up the fire, then turned to Ren, as if he saw Ren through the back of his head.

Ren opened fire from his spot in full auto. Shots came in a wide spread, but the Clone returned fire, only twitching when multiple shots seemed to ricochet off his pauldron and plating. Ren dashed for cover, shots trailing mere inches, or even centimeters behind him. With his attention on Ren, Pyrrha lunged at him, bringing her weapon in its short sword form. Then something landed in front of her, Pyrrha raising her shield to block as she ran into it. It didn't even budge despite Pyrrha's momentum. In fact, Pyrrha bounced back a bit on contract. Pyrrha lowered her shield a little bit, just to see who was there. Jaune saw it. It was another Clone. It looked almost exactly like the other one, having its shoulder out to meet Pyrrha's shield. He looked at his comrade, seeming to communicate telepathically. Then the new Clone booted the shield, sending Pyrrha skidding back towards Jaune. Then he charged, the other Clone focusing on Ren, and now Nora, who had appeared in the fight. Jaune had a really bad feeling about this. He hadn't seen many deadly opponents, and he was certainly looking at them now.

-Yang 3rd Person POV-

"Where is that coming from!" Yang exclaimed after just coming out of a roll.

A blast heated her back. She was certainly glad she moved, looking at the pavement. Rockets were flying everywhere, and Team RWBY was out in the open.

"It's coming from the warehouse!" Blake answered as she leapt back from her spot, leaving behind a rock copy of herself. A rocket impacted right where the copy was, incinerating the rock and leaving a crater in the pavement.

"Where the heck is TJ and GT!" Weiss opened a glyph in front of her, letting a rocket impact on it. "Aren't they supposed to be covering us?"

Weiss opened multiple glyphs, spinning, then swinging her rapier forward. Dust formed around her and the glyphs fired six dust projectiles at the warehouse. Yang knew she couldn't see where the shooter was, but some suppression was better than none. Yang got up and fired her Ember Cecilias again and again, until another rocket forced her to dive right.

"Some rockets went towards the spots the Twins were sniping from," Ruby said. "They might be down right now!"

"Well, we can't keep doing this!" Yang stated, firing three more shots.

"We have to get to Shadow!" Blake said. "They are under fire at the further up ahead!"

Another few salvos rocket blasted in between the group, kicking up smoke, ash and debris. Yang raised her arms to protect her face and shield her eyes from the dust.

"You want to charge at that?" Weiss scolded Blake.

"They need help," Blake shot back. "We just need to get closer!"

"And how do you propose we do that?"

Blake was right. They did need to help Shadow and Jared. Yang could see the duo a little less than two hundred meters ahead in crouched positions, shooting back at hostiles in the warehouse. They seemed to be taking fire from blue lasers. As this was an arms deal, that could have been anyone tonight, but Yang recognized the type of spraying and suppression on the Shadow Troopers all too well. It was the same guys that she and Jared fought on the island; the ones that killed so many Atlesian soldiers and helped the White Fang steal weapons.

"Spread out!" Ruby ordered. "They can't target all of us!"

"They can target one of us." Weiss pointed out.

"Then we'll cover you," A voice came up from behind them.

Yang turned around to see GT and TJ arriving out of a sprint.

"We'll suppress the rocket trooper," GT stated. "Get moving as soon as you can."

"Just get them to fall back," TJ added. "For some reason, we couldn't raise anyone up on the comms."

"We are retreating?" Blake asked.

"There is no point in fighting," GT replied. "Authorities should be arriving soon. There is no way they are missing this."

Another explosion thudded behind them as a rocket overshot the group. GT aimed his Deece in its sniper configuration, firing off two rounds.

"Get going!" TJ barked as he joined his brother."

"Let's go!" Ruby motioned the team. Yang followed as they sprinted to help Shadow and Jared.

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

"Two tangos coming off our 10 o'clock!" Shadow called out, crouching next to a pile of dead gangsters. He opened fire, letting off longer bursts. The enemies were trying to suppress them.

" _Agh_ ," Jared hopped to his right. "At least the son of a bitch with a rocket stopped aiming at us."

Shadow exposed himself a bit just to get a proper shot on the shooters. Blue lasers came almost directly at him, spraying all over his general direction. He felt one shot bounce off his pauldron, throwing his aim off a bit. Another shot deflected off the hood, not without smacking the side of his head first. There was probably a mark, but that was much better than the smoking hole that would have been there if not for the hood. Shadow sprayed back, getting a dozen shots off before another shot scarred the side of his Deece. Sparks flew up into his face and eyes as the metal burned away and the Deece's computer systems fried. Shadow cussed himself out as he dropped to his side, completely under the protection of the corpses.

"Shadow!" Jared cried. "You still in this fight?!"

Shadow rubbed his eyes and cleared his face. His vision was fine, and any damage the sparks did to his face would be negated by his aura. He looked down at his DC-17M, inspecting it with restrained glances. All systems were not responding, and it was not linking up with his HUD. He even tried pulling the trigger a few times, not getting any response.

" _Shit,_ they shot out my Deece!" Shadow grunted, magnetizing his 17M to his back and drawing his DC-17B sidearms. "They certainly know how to fucking suppress!"

"Same guys from the island assault," Jared noted as he slapped a fresh magazine into his Deece and started returning fire. "Watch out, they are popping smoke. They are gonna advance!"

"Like hell they are." Shadow muttered as he primed a thermal grenade. "Grenade out!" He warned as he threw it into the fray.

"I didn't see any shadows in the flash," Jared shook his head, referring to the explosion. "I got nothing on thermal imaging."

All of a sudden, the spraying started again, emerging from the smoke like lightning from thunder clouds. Shadow caught them on motion tracker, but something else caught his eye. Something far off to the left of the compound, a figure stood barely in the open, gleaming in the moonlight. Shadow instantly recognized it as Phase I ARC Trooper armor, bearing the markings of a Captain. Not many troops stuck to the Phase I variant, and with the chilling information he had received about a new player in Atlas, this could only confirm his suspicions. He may have been looking at one of the deadliest targets ever. The figure disappeared into the shadows behind him, slowly and discreetly, almost like he was taunting Shadow. It was at this moment Team RWBY arrived.

"Shadow, Jared! We are here!" Yang announced as she fired a few rounds into the smoke. The rest of Team RWBY started to form up on Jared, then extend to reach over to Shadow as well, but Shadow had different ideas.

"C'mon, we have to retreat!" Blake called out.

"Negative," Shadow replied, "Jared, stay here with the girls and engage the oncoming tangos."

"You want us to do _what_?" Jared turned to Shadow, his tone in shock.

"Give me some cover fire while you are at it." Shadow added as he got on two feet and prepared to sprint.

"And just where the hell do you think you are going?"

"Cover me, now!"

-Team RWBY 3rd Person POV-

" _Shadow_! Shadow, what the fuck!" Blake heard Jared scream at the sprinting away Shadow Trooper. " _Shit_! Girls, cover him!"

Blake opened fire with Gambol Shroud in its pistol form, trying to target the strobes of blue muzzle flashes in the smoke. She honestly couldn't tell if she was hitting anything, but she was more focused on Shadow sprinting away.

"Blake, look out!" Jared called out.

Blake turned back towards the smoke, staring into the oncoming elbow of a Clone Trooper.

 _Wham!_

"Blake!" Yang cried as she charged the Clone.

She fired two rounds at him, both missing their marks as he moved. His rifle levelled quick though, faster than Yang anticipated. If it wasn't for Jared letting loose on the Clone, she probably would have been filled with laser bolts by now. The Clone took shots like a tank, ricocheting off his armor. By now, Yang reached him, throwing herself into a side flip, kicking his rifle downwards as she landed and smacking him right in the face. She threw another punch and another. Her last one she put her might into it, throwing her entire body weight into it, but he was ready. Moving like a blur, the Clone deflected her fist and grabbed it by the wrist, pulling past him fast and launching his ready fist into Yang's cheek.

Yang felt a crack, and almost blacked out from the blow, feeling it up her jaw. She felt like she almost had her neck snapped. _No_ , she did almost have her neck snap. It would have been the case if Jared wasn't there. He grabbed the Clone around the neck, trying to bring him into a choke hold, but the Clone was fast, jamming his elbow into Jared's ribs and spinning around into three rapid fire punches from lower torso to high. He kicked Jared back.

Yang charged again, spinning into a jump kick. The Clone caught it mid air, slamming his free arm into Yang's thigh and twisting her body, slamming her to the ground face first.

Blake leaped at the Clone, ready to attack once she saw Yang hit the ground and tumble around the cement. Gambol Shroud was in its dual mode; cleaver in her left, katana in her right. She swung both as soon as she was in range, threatening a slash to his throat. The Clone ducked under the slash and came up at Blake's torso, grabbing her around the waist and catching her. He brought her up, down down onto the hard pavement, Blake feeling the ground meet the back of her skull like a freight train. She felt herself turned on her back, arm being straightened and shoved in an awkward position as he pinned her, threatening to break her arm. Then Weiss came in.

Weiss kicked the Clone right off Blake, sending him into a tumble. He quickly got to his feet before Weiss closed the gap, avoiding Weiss's spinning slashes. He came into one of them, Weiss spinning into a kick to force him back. The kick didn't stop him though. He forced his way through Weiss, his fist making contact with her belly. Weiss swore that he was going to somehow penetrate the skin with his bare hands, but only felt the sick and painful knot of her gut. She felt the same hand grab her by the jaw and send her into the ground.

Ruby dashed in to protect Weiss, slamming the Clone away. He dropped his rifle, quickly drawing a smaller carbine blaster and started firing away and Ruby. She dashed left and right, turning into rose petals as every salvo of shots. Then she lunged into a double swing, bringing her Scythe around her body. The Clone leaned back, kicking her forward knee to bend. Ruby fell to a crouch and felt the barrel of his weapon knock her right across her face. She stumbled back, falling on her butt. She was certain that he would have finished her, but then Yang grabbed him, getting her arms under his, and her hands behind his head. She locked the grip, and the Clone dropped his weapon. Ruby got to her feet, hoping to help her.

 _Whizz!_

A shot flew past her and at the Clone, smacking his extra armor plating. It looked like it hurt, but the shot didn't appear to penetrate the plating. Ruby turned to see GT and TJ behind her, levelling their snipers at the Clone for a clean shot. The Clone kept moving, trying to raise the chance of a shot hitting Yang. Blake's weapon in kusarigama form flew around his right knee, wrapping itself around before Blake pulled, bringing the Clone on a knee.

Following a crack of another rifle, someone screamed behind Blake. Blake spun around to face the twins, just in time to see TJ with a smoking hole in his armor. TJ clutched the wound, collapsing to his knees before toppling over. The drop of the body stunned Blake for a few moments.

"Sniper!" GT yelled, tracing the shot.

"Damn it Blake, move!" Blake heard from Jared before he slammed right into her. Blake managed to catch a glimpse of the blue bolt that almost tore through her skull before she hit the ground.

Jared was about to open fire on something behind him, but something grabbed him from behind, yanking him off Blake. It was another Clone, this time having a large shoulder pad of reinforced armor. Blake rolled to her feet and charged him, her face only meeting his fist and sending her sprawling across the pavement.

With the others distracted, Yang accidentally loosened her grip. Her mistake. The Clone yanked down with his right, sending his elbow into Yang's ribs, _hard_. She felt her lungs rattle from the blow, and it hurt a lot. His arm went low, hooking under Yang's right thigh. Then he leaned back, pulling on Yang's leg and sending her flat on her back. Yang tried to get her leg around the Clone's neck but he was faster, sending his fist into Yang's gut, the impact threatening to crush her stomach. He came up, moving over Yang to get his hands around her neck, but Yang didn't let him. She got her legs around his neck, pulling his hands down and tightening the grip. The Clone did not try to struggle. No matter how hard Yang squeezed and tried to block his airway, he didn't panic. He made sure Yang was holding his hands tightly, even grabbing her forearms as well. Then he got up, and Yang realized what was happening. The Clone got on his knees, then to his feet, lifting Yang as high as he could into the air. Yang squeezed her legs around his neck as tight as she could, trying to make him black out. It was no use, and she felt herself slam headfirst into pavement.

Ruby was closer to TJ when a bolt tore through his back. GT had come to a crouch, fanning the area. Ruby converted Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle mode, joining GT. Another bolt flew and Ruby ducked. She turned and saw Jared tackle Blake out of the way. Her attention was towards GT's line of sight.

"Get TJ clear!" He yelled back to Ruby as he fired a round and charged towards a building.

Ruby stuck near TJ, trying to look past the smoke. She looked to the rooftop of the building GT was charging, seeing a silhouette. She lined her scope up with it, finding another Clone in her crosshairs. A blue muzzle flash came from his rifle, pointed directly at Ruby.

 _Crack!_

The bolt went right into the scope, shattering the glass. Ruby shut her eyes and dropped Crescent Rose to avoid it getting in her eyes. She covered her face in pain, feeling some shards rain upon her face. She focused her aura on healing herself before rejoining the battle.

-GT 3rd Person POV-

All GT was right now was rage. He wasn't even sure TJ was fine. He had better be fine, or else the Clone he was scrambling up the stairs to engage was going to die painfully.

GT burst through the rooftop access door, already lining his deece up with the shooter. The Clone whirled around, firing his DC-15X sniper rifle before GT even blinked. The shot knocked the 17M out of GT's hands, but he didn't stop charging. He weaved right, feeling something slam him in the upper left torso. He activated his semblance, negating the pain. He didn't want to deal with it right now. GT's hand went for his sidearm, drawing it from the holster. The Clone didn't give him the chance to use it, shooting the pistol out of GT's hands. Something hit him again, this time in the lower abdomen. He didn't bother to care about it, reaching back to draw his sword. It was at this moment, GT realized he had just tanked two shots, and was about to take a third as it flew towards his helmet. He tilted his head left to avoid the shot, but it came low, almost hitting him like an uppercut. The shot knocked off his helmet. He quickly turned his head right back to his attacker. GT's aura and energy filled the blade as he drew and swung, the Clone ducking right under it.

The Clone's rifle shifted in his hands as he grabbed the weapon by the barrel and stock, wielding it like a club. He brought it at a downwards slope as GT spun into a stroke. The blade skidded off the rifle, deflected away from its intended target. The Clone then came up, slamming the stock into the side of GT's head. GT didn't even feel his skull crack, slashing back in a counter. Catching the Clone off guard with the refusal to give up ground, GT kicked him back a step, simultaneously coming into a downwards stroke. The Clone had his rifle raised as if he was trying to block, but with GT's energy put into the sword, he cut right through the DC-15X.

The Clone leaped back, dropping the halves of the rifle and drawing dual sidearms. GT had nowhere to hide, just charging. Three shots came immediately, GT blocking them with his sword. The fourth was too quick and late for him to block, but it wasn't meant to hit him. The shot went for the sword hilt, disarming GT once more. Then the Clone let loose again, GT feeling three impacts on his torso. He went right through it, reaching for the beskar dagger sheathed on his shoulder.

Like a raging bull, GT threw himself at the Clone. The Clone stepped to the side, avoiding GT's rampage. GT whirled around, slashing with the dagger. The Clone deflected the blade away, trying to move his sidearms into a weak point. Multiple times as GT traded blows did he push the barrel of a sidearm away from his heart. One shot came up for his throat, GT pushing it away just quick enough for it to graze his chin. GT leaned in for the slash, just only to skid off his armor. He stepped forward, going for a stab. The Clone stepped into, then to the side of the strike, slamming the barrel of one of his sidearms into GT's forehead. GT stepped back to avoid a shot to his lower crotch, then went right back in, slashing left and right. The Clone stepped back accordingly, looking for the opportunity.

GT spun into a left slash, then stepped into a right. He saw the Clone leaning in to take his opportunity. GT was ready. As the Clone's barrel came to meet GT's heart, GT let go of the dagger, grabbing it mid air with his other hand to complete the strike while his now free right hand went for his chest, knocking the barrel under his armpit. The Clone tilted his head away from the strike, driving the blade away with his free hand. GT slashed again, the Clone sidestepping around him to get in his blind side. GT couldn't tell what had happened. All he knew is that after a slash, the Clone got right behind him. A shot discharged and his right knee gave out. GT dropped to a crouch, turning to slash back at his attacker. The Clone simply got the bladed arm in a lock, smacking the dagger out of GT's hands and kicking him over.

GT felt his aura dissipating. He couldn't bend his right knee, and was starting to feel the pain. He still focused on his semblance, forcing himself up and healing himself as much as he could.

-Ruby 3rd Person POV-

"GT needs help!" Ruby said as she rolled out of the way from a rocket.

Weiss was beside her, returning fire to the rocket trooper. The Clone wielding it had definitely gotten closer, but the more they stayed near the other Clones, the less rockets they had to evade.

"I don't know why he went off and left us anyway." Weiss muttered as she ducked away from a spray of blue bolts.

"Weiss, he needs help!"

Weiss spared a moment to look at the building GT had engaged the sniper on, giving it a quick eyeball. She brought herself angled to the building and raised her other hand, as if aiming something. Quickly, her glyphs began to appear going up the side of the building.

"Go, I'll help the others." Weiss stated.

Ruby nodded at her partner and dashed away, using her semblance. She spun into roses, landing on the first glyph, then launched herself up the side of the building. Ruby arched herself into a spin, landing on the ledge of the building, Crescent Rose in its Scythe mode. GT was on all fours, struggling to get up while the Clone stood over him with his sidearms. Ruby didn't know what gave her away, but the Clone turned right towards her, levelling his sidearms.

Ruby dashed right, avoiding the first few shot, then doubled back left, closing on her target. She caught him nearly off guard, bringing in a wide swing. The Clone almost didn't have enough time to leap back. He fired three quick shots, Ruby spinning Crescent Rose to deflect the rounds away. Steadying her pose, she fired Crescent Rose from her hip. The Clone ducked left, then right, returning fire. Ruby brought Crescent Rose around to lunge, only to be sent off balance by the shots impacting on her Scythe. She whirled around, getting back into firing position, yanking the bolt back as fast as she could, sliding a new round into the chamber, then pulling the trigger. All of a sudden, the casing exploded, dust and smoke clouding her vision. The firing mechanism had blown up in her face. Ruby looked down at Crescent Rose to locate the cause, discovering the black, smoking holes in the main chamber. The Clone had disabled the weapon.

It was at this point that GT came up at the Clone, trying to blindside him. The Clone simply turned and kicked him back down. Ruby dashed at him, bringing her Scythe low to high, letting the blade dance and leap around her. The Clone dived around her to avoid the flurry of attacks. Ruby spun, bringing the flat of her blade to meet his head. The Clone's right arm went up, blocking the weapon, the other one slamming the barrel of his sidearm to her cheek. Ruby had managed to step back from most of the attack, lucky enough to have her cheek out of the line of fire when the Clone pulled the trigger. Ruby tried to throw Crescent Rose at him, but he planted his knee in her chest, sending her sliding away.

She was doomed, clutching her gut from the blow, directly in range of the sidearms the Clone levelled at her. It was too late for her to do anything, but not GT. GT sprang at the Clone's gut, driving him back as hard as he could. The Clone jammed one of his sidearms into GT's shoulder, firing a shot. GT didn't falter until the Clone slammed the butts of his weapons as hard as he could into GT's back. He raised his arms again and struck again, just around GT's neck at the pressure points. GT looked as if he was paralyzed for several moments, his face in agonizing pain as he fell to his knees.

"Ruby, now!" He cried.

Now Ruby saw the plan. GT had driven the Clone close to the edge of the roof. All that was left was to finish him off.

Ruby brought Crescent Rose back and ready to swing, bending her knees in preparation, then springing forward. Combined with the power, speed, and momentum of her Semblance, there was no way the Clone could have dodged this. Crescent Rose came around and struck the Clone in the center chest, launching the Clone over the edge.

The Clone fell quickly down the five story building, almost landing on his feet, but ending up flat on his back with a hard crunch on the cement. Ruby looked down at the Clone waiting for him to recover. He didn't move.

"Nice job," GT panted. He had blaster marks all over his armor. "Nice job."

"GT, you're hurt." Ruby said.

"I'm fine," GT waved her off, Ruby noticing some grimace. "We gotta help the others. I'll get TJ, just help out your team."

"Right..." Ruby replied, hesitating to leave him.

"I said I'm fine!" GT declared. "Go, I'll catch up."

Ruby nodded, then sent herself off the building, projecting her aura downwards to prepare for her landing.

-Jared 3rd Person POV-

Jared had a hard time remembering what had just been happening. All he could recall is taking a stock of a rifle to forehead. He had felt a crack in his neck in the impact, and was starting to feel it getting sore. After, he had been taking quick blows to the chest, faster than he could have tracked. Currently, he was pinned against the ground, his opponent's forearm against his neck, forcing the airway shut. Jared didn't feel his Deece in his hand, assuming he dropped it during the melee. He couldn't reach back for his katanas, but he could reach the vibroblade. Struggling not to black out, all he could see is the visor of a Phase I Clone helmet, with red markings of a Captain, and an Eyepiece. The Clone seemed to dash completely out of Jared's point of view when he drew the knife. Jared took his gasp of air, rolling to face the Clone, only to see a WESTAR M5 blaster rifle lining up with his face. In desperation, Jared threw the knife, spending barely half a second to aim. The knife struck the Clone in the upper left torso, cutting through the protective pauldron and armor plating like butter. He didn't stop to give the Clone time to inspect the wound, dashing forward and grabbing the barrel of the WESTAR.

For moments the two wrestled, Jared trying to disarm while the Clone tried to fire. Jared knew that in an army of billions, probably wasn't physically the strongest, but this Clone easily overpowered Jared. The only reason Jared had been able to keep both hands wrapped around the stock and barrel was the fact that the Clone had taken one hand off after a minute, and was now rapidly hitting Jared in the side over and over again. Jared felt his ribs shake on each hit, threatening to collapse the entire cage. It was so much repetitive pain that he almost let go. He used the advantage that he had two hands on the blaster. Instead of pulling on the rifle, he pushed it back on the Clone, getting close enough to bash his elbow into the Clone's visor. Using this moment of disarray, Jared yanked the rifle free. This small victory was short lived, as the Clone quickly sent his boot into the back of Jared's knee. Jared let out a grunt of pain, gritting his teeth as he fell to a crouch. He could have sworn he had popped his knee cap at this point. Still, he quickly raised the rifle, only to have it jump out of his hands as a result of a quick kick from the Clone. Jared raised his hands, blocking the first punch, but he wasn't fast enough for the second that went straight down into his jaw. A right cross nearly broke Jared's neck, he being lucky that his body had turned with the blow. Then he was sliding on his back into the concrete.

Jared got up, looking for some payback from the boot to the chest. The Clone had drawn a DC-15S from his belt, taking aim. Now was Jared's chance. He drew his katanas, already concentrating his aura into his blades. Just as the blaster carbine lined up with him, Jared dashed forward and to the right, shot glancing just over his shoulder. He swung at the nearest thing, it being the weapon, slicing the barrel, clean off. The Clone stepped back, startled from the sudden attack. He threw his remaining piece of the carbine at Jared, Jared slicing the remains in half and lunged forward, shifting in a double swing.

The Clone reached for the vibroblade still jabbed into his upper left torso, yanking it out and bringing it up. Jared's first blade was deflected away, the second blocked by the vibroblade. Jared whipped his free blade over his head, spinning into two more strikes. The Clone did his best, blocking two strikes, but the third hit him in the head. Using the disorientation to his advantage, Jared kicked him back. The Clone stumbled back, then fell to a crouch. He had a cut in his helmet near the left corner of his forehead. A trickle of blood rolled down past his visor. Jared estimated his blade had just licked the Clone's skull.

Then the Clone dropped to a crouch, grabbing something off the ground. Jared realized it was the WESTAR, immediately activating his semblance by holding his breath. The first shot came out off the barrel of the WESTAR, moving ever so slowly. Jared dashed around his target, releasing his breath as he slashed at the Clone's back. The Clone arched back in pain, dropping his weapon and coming to all fours. Jared was about to finish him off when all of a sudden, he was tumbling into the pavement. Jared rolled to his feet, seeing another Clone wielding a grenade launcher mounted at the bottom of his rifle, pumping grenades at Jared. Jared held his breath, charging forward, carefully and quickly, he sliced the grenades in half as they sailed at an eighth of their speed through the air. He still didn't cover the ground, having to exhale. Jared almost stumbled when the mid air explosions caught up with his sprint.

Then something grabbed him from behind. The Captain, had Jared around the chest, yanking him off course and sending him to the ground. Jared came up into a swing, the Clone grabbing the arm and popping the blade out of his grip. Jared swung again, the katana going right over the Clone's head. Still low, the Clone launched his fist into Jared's lower side, Jared feeling the punch like a wrecking ball. He coughed as his lung was forced to vent air faster than normal. Dark red fluid splattered the interior of his helmet, leaving an unpleasant taste of copper in his mouth. That's when Jared saw his aura level drain to red.

He didn't even know why he dropped his blade. All Jared knew was that he was being lifted high into the air, then saw the pavement coming fast at him. Jared felt the concrete crack on impact with the ground. Or was it his bones? He didn't know, but the Clone was now over him, one hand holding Jared's head in place, lifting his other hand in a fist.

 _Pow! Pow! Crack!_

Jared felt a small part of his helmet cave into his head, plastoid pressing against the upper left of his skull. He could barely move, let alone fight. Everything ached. He felt pain all over his body, as if he had been thrown around a metal box at high speed for half an hour. And now the Clone wielded the vibroblade, raising it for the kill. Jared couldn't die here. He couldn't, and he had just enough aura not to.

Jared held his breath, despite his lack of breath in the first place, the Clone's killing strike slowing. Then Jared put in all the remaining energy and adrenaline he had left. He punched the Clone as hard as he could in the face, then planted both boots into his gut, and launched his opponent off, exhaling as he did so. The Clone went flying off him, Jared rolling away as soon as he could. Then he moved as far away as he could from the Clone. As far as his adrenaline could carry him. _As far as he could..._

-Team RWBY 3rd Person POV-

Blake dashed in as fast as she could, her Gambol Shroud trailing behind her. She spun quickly into a swing that only sliced air. The Clone that had ducked under the blow smashed his fist into Blake's cheek not even a second after her strike had finished.

Yang dived in, almost catching the Clone off guard with a roundhouse kick, the Clone blocking it with his forearm. Yang continued her turn into a backhand and two punches, the first attack missing their marks while the last two were shoved out of their trajectory. Yang hopped up into a jump kick, the Clone sidestepping and smashing her leg down. The impact sent Yang forward, right into the Clone where his waiting hand met her throat. Her right arm swung right over his head, allowing him to trap it and lock it over his right shoulder. As she struggled to breathe, she brought her left knee up into his right side, feeling only pain on her part as it didn't even crack the plastoid.

Blake's surprise attack was ruined by the fact the Clone had turned his head. He whirled around and leaped out of the way from the spinning slash. Blake launched herself at the Clone, arching herself right over Yang as he threw her. She turned into a series of lightning fast strikes, dashing around him. He kept dodging her strikes, somehow keeping up with her. Even when she started using semblance, leaving decoys, he still was a footstep ahead of her. He didn't seem to be watching her, having his head tilted down as if he was listening instead.

All of a sudden, in Blake's lunge, the Clone spun towards her, grabbing the bladed arm with his left hand, then bringing his right leg up. Blake felt his heel smash right up her jaw, the Clone still holding on to her arm to maximize his amount of force. Blake hit the ground, feeling a boot press down on her chest. She was surprised when she felt Gambol Shroud ripped from her hand, the Clone grabbing it by the grip and within two seconds, sliding it into its pistol form.

Blake saw Yang fire two rounds from her Ember Cecilia before the Clone fired, one round knocking him in the shoulder, the other glancing off his back as he spun to aim. Yang ducked left, then right to avoid the shots. Blake shoved the Clone's boot off her and brought her cleaver sheath into a swing, feeling it cut through the armor on his lower side with a crunchy slice. The Clone arched up in pain before he spun back to Blake and put all his energy into his boot, launching it like a catapult into Blake's gut. Blake slid across the pavement, letting out a scream she had not expected, followed by cough of blood. Her abdomen felt like it had been smashed by a trash compactor. Feeling her aura dissipate, she rolled over, clutching her stomach in agony.

Yang wrapped her arms around the Clone's neck from behind. The Clone struggled for a moment, then Yang heard a click. Three bangs and impacts on her stomach was enough for her to let go as the Clone fired Gambol Shroud. He whirled to face her, getting ready for the next attack.

Weiss was providing as much cover fire as she can, firing an array of dust at the Clone carrying heavy weaponry. Weiss sent wind into an oncoming missile, sending it off course and into the ground behind her. Weiss opened several glyphs around her, launching energy lances at the Clone. The lances seemed to impact on their target, but Weiss had to make sure. She opened s glyph beneath her, using it to launch herself into a lunge. Surely enough, she closed the distance, sailing through the smoke, Myrtenaster taking point. Then she saw the silhouette.

The Clone was not expecting her, barely getting out of the way, but not unscathed, as her blade skimmed off his rocket launcher. The Clone still dropped it regardless. Weiss came into a spinning strike, the Clone leaping back to avoid it, reaching far back behind him. Weiss was almost not ready to avoid the rotary blaster cannon that he drew, the six barrels revving up to spin as he took aim. Weiss changed her direction of attack, dashing to his flank as he opened up, the steady staccato of the shots a dear reminder of how many lasers she would have in her if she dared slow down.

Ruby arrived just in time, whirling out of her rose petals on the Clone's flank. Her battle cry gave her away, but she was already close enough, Crescent Rose coming around and slamming the Clone in the shoulder. The Clone stumbled back into a spin, almost sending him end over, but he managed to surprisingly regain his footing fairly quick, already taking aim with his cannon. Ruby didn't have enough time to strike him, but she had managed to get just around his flank, lunging her Scythe forward and slamming the six barrels away from her. She spun around to Follow with a high swing, the Clone ducking under it, then coming up with his body mass. He sent his shoulder into Ruby's chest, Ruby almost falling to her back. She had regained her footing just in time to see the Clone come out of his spin and slam the six barrels across her face.

Weiss had heard the loud smack, now having an opening for her attack. The Clone didn't stop turning after he hit Ruby, and Weiss found out why. She leaped, as high as she could, the rotary cannon firing just where she was moments ago. The shots trailed and followed her in the air, Weiss opening a solid glyph beneath her to provide cover against a few stray shots that nearly hit her. Then Ruby was up, hooking her Scythe under the Clone's heels and sending him back first into the ground. Weiss arched herself mid air, then lunged straight down, Myrtenaster aimed at the Clone's chest.

The Clone rolled out of the way, leaving his blaster cannon. Myrtenaster bounced off the pavement, Weiss landing on her feet and maintaining her momentum as she jumped forward, sending her knee into the Clone's gut. The Clone skidded back, drawing a rifle that had been slung to his back. He began spraying, sending Weiss and Ruby into a retreat. Weiss whirled and fired a lance of fire towards him, the Clone diving forward into a roll. As soon as he came into a crouch, he pumped the mechanism below the main barrel, in favour of a second one. Each pump launched a projectile, sailing up, then down into Weiss and Ruby's position. Each projectile ended up being a grenade, explosions blooming all around them. Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, an ice wall forming in front of her. Ruby edged closer to Weiss, the two exchanging glances and nods, then preparing their attack.

"Go help Yang and Blake," Weiss said. "I'll handle him."

-Team JNPR 3rd Person POV-

Pyrrha and Jaune engaged one of the Clones in close quarters combat. Despite the quick and carefully practiced strikes Pyrrha was employing, the Clone was fast. Not only fast, he was strong too, and extremely skilled. Jaune had tried to strike as well, only finding himself missing his strikes or having them deflected out of the way. He couldn't even blind side the Clone, as he was always ready for Jaune's attack. Pyrrha knew that this Clone could kill Jaune rather quickly, so she kept his focus on her. She, however, had to be careful that he didn't kill _her_ as well.

Pyrrha slashed left and right, the Clone sidestepping from the strikes. He carried a weapon that was almost like a pistol, but too large to be regarded as one. When the Clone fired at her shield, she heard the metal projectiles rain down. It definitely wasn't lasers like the other Clones. Pyrrha suspected the weapon as some sort of small shotgun, but was powerful, enough to knock her back a bit. She went right back at him, throwing a wide swing. The Clone leaped back, the blade just missing his abdomen. Pyrrha spun around and repeated the attack. The Clone rolled under it this time, spinning to open fire on her. Pyrrha whirled around, raising her shield to block the two shots, then brought her sword up. The Clone did something unexpected though, lunging forward. Pyrrha has moved her shield already, and took an elbow to the gut.

Jaune came in, throwing a strike to protect Pyrrha. The Clone brought his arm up, deflecting the blade off his gauntlet, then punched Jaune square in the face. Jaune stumbled back, only getting the chance to watch the Clone level his weapon. Jaune took the flechettes to the chest. If it wasn't for his armor and aura, he would have had his heart full of lead. Still, the impact sent him on his back, and it felt like a car had hit him.

Pyrrha charged at the Clone, bashing him away with her shield, letting Miló morph from its sword form into its spear form in her other hand. With a quick twitch of her shoulder, she brought her spear into a wide swing. The Clone ducked, then side stepped when Pyrrha attempted to impale him. She stepped forward, spinning into a series of slashes and strikes. The Clone managed to evade all of them, seeming to be reloading the slugs into his shotgun when he got the chance.

Ren and Nora weren't having as much luck as the other two. This Clone with the dual SMGs was nearly impossible to attack within twenty feet of him. Even if one got much closer, he could easily outmatch Ren in hand to hand. Ren had resorted to kick attacks, mainly opening fire with Stormflower to distract. Ren ran up a shelf of crates, barely keeping himself on the edge of the third level as he sprayed down the Clone. The Clone had been firing at an evading Nora as Ren dashed, leaping at the Clone in a spinning kick. The attacks missed, and so did Ren's following slashes. Ren's last slash was a blow to the Clone's head. The Clone simply moved his head out of the way, and got Ren's arm into a lock. Ren felt a knee slam his gut, then brought his arm up to block the next one. Ren leaned forward into a front flip, getting his arm into a comfortable position, then through a high kick. The Clone let go of Ren to duck, then smashed Ren back.

Nora advanced, trying to aim Magnhild in its grenade launcher form. Ren was way too close for a good shot, so she morphed it into its war hammer mode, bringing it around her waist and ready to strike. The Clone dodged the first swing, then ducked under the next. Nora brought her hammer up, then down, the Clone leaping back to avoid the blow. He sprayed down at Nora, hosing her position with yellow bolts. Nora dashed at an angle, keeping her head low as shots trailed behind her. Magnhild came around into a wide swing, the Clone sidestepping around the blow to get on her flank. Nora felt a boot meet her side, sending her into a short stumble.

Ren jumped in, blades from Stormflower skidding off the Clone's pauldron. He spun around for another slash, then a high kick. The Clone stepped back from the slashes, ducking under the high kick and attaching his SMGs to his thighs, keeping his hands free. When Ren threw another kick, the Clone caught it, throwing the leg back at him. Ren landed flat on his back, and probably would have been killed if Nora had not attempted a lunge.

The Clone dodged it, turning to his side to avoid the hammer. He whirled around, reaching back and pulling out a rifle that Tested had. Tested had said it was a laser shotgun, and Ren found out why. The rifle fired an eight round spray that nearly killed Nora. Luckily, she had taken cover behind a shelf.

Ren launched himself back onto his feet, the Clone whirling just in time to face him. The barrel went for Ren's torso, Ren blocking it and forcing it to the ground. Ren leaned back from the elbow and moved his foot to avoid the shot the Clone fired at the ground. Ren spun left and sidestepped to avoid the kick and knocked the levelling rifle up, launching his left leg into the Clone's side. The Clone visibly reacted in pain, but Ren heard no scream. He only felt a knee to the gut, and the whack of a rifle stock to the face.

Nora saw Ren go down from the melee. It was at this time, she decided another charge, keeping her hammer low for a low to high strike. As soon as she got within ten feet of the Clone, he turned around, levelling his rifle at something to the side of Nora. When he fired, she realized what he was shooting at. A dust ammunition crate had been stacked there, along with several others in a row. It only took one blast to ignite the rest, blowing the whole dozen. The wave of explosion sent Nora flying, she didn't know where, but all she knew is that her head hurt, and she was sitting in another crate across the walkway.

Ren was almost on his feet when an explosion blew off one of the shelf levels behind the Clone. He had gotten up just in time to see fire and ash engulf Nora and send her across and into another shelf. Ren struck in anger at the attack on his friend, spinning into whirlwind attack. The Clone leaped back, startled, but not before Ren sliced the barrel of his rifle clean off. Ren came down then launched his knee towards the Clone's face. The Clone's forearm came up, blocking the knee, but it didn't block the following mid air kick to the gut. Ren spun around into two slashes, the Clone dodging the first one, but the second one was blocked. Ren was surprised to hear one of Stormflower's blades clash with another. He looked and saw the Clone's hand, armed with a wrist mounted vibroblade. The other Clone's gauntlet ejected a similar blade, sending down into Ren's right thigh. Ren felt the sharp pain enter his leg, and it got worse when he figured out the hard way that the blade had a barbed end, hooking into Ren's flesh securely as the Clone pulled Ren's leg off balance, sending him sprawling on his back. Ren was about to counter, but couldn't take it when the Clone violently ripped the blade out of Ren's thigh. Ren screamed, in too much pain to try and figure out what was going on. When he finally came to his senses, he found the Clone with his arms securing Ren's leg in an awkward position. It was too late to react.

 _Crack!_

Nora heard the crack of bone from here, as she saw the Clone break one of Ren's legs. She got herself onto her feet, putting all of her aura and strength into her hammer. The Clone raised his blade for a killing blow. Now was the time to strike.

"Hey!" Nora shouted as she charged, putting everything into the one lunge that closed the distance in a single step.

The Clone's head jerked right towards her, and his body was already shifting, but by then Nora was already in striking distance. Her hammer came wide, slamming the Clone at the upper right chest. If the Clone had just been a little faster, the blow would have either grazed him or sent him spinning into the ground. Instead, it sent him catapulting into a shelf, Nora watching it collapse on the Clone.

Pyrrha leaped into a backflip to get away from her opponent. The Clone had fired his last slug within the weapon, striking the ground where Pyrrha stood moments ago. Pyrrha knew he had to reload now. She took advantage of this, morphing Miló into its rifle mode and levelling it with her target. The Clone had holstered his shotgun to his thigh and had drawn a blaster carbine, opening fire right away. Pyrrha activated his semblance polarity, manipulating her shield to roll over her left arm, the small opening making room for the rifle barrel. After the first two blue bolts impacted, she returned fire. The Clone dashed to her right, strafing as he returned fire, trying to get around the shield. He was at the same time attempting to reload his shotgun, the loading bay parted back with the barrel tucked between his arm and chest, his free hand sliding slugs into place.

Still suppressing the Clone as he ran, Pyrrha tried something. The weapon the Clone had was made of metal, perfect for her use, but the trick was to concentrate and make sure she wasn't outflanked. She reached out with her semblance, feeling the metal on the Clone's barrel. Then she yanked it.

The Clone stumbled forwards, as if the carbine wanted to leap out of hands, him barely keeping a grip on it. Pyrrha dashed at him, Miló into its sword mode, swiping at neck level. The Clone jammed his heel into the ground, narrowly stopping himself from losing his throat. His shotgun had dropped in the sudden action, and the Clone turned into lightning speed. Pyrrha had just come out of two strikes, the Clone evading and getting just under the shield. Pyrrha felt the elbow crisply knock her in the jaw. Pyrrha spun around for a shield bash, only to have it stop hard against the Clone's shoulder like hitting a brick wall. She ducked down to avoid the blaster shot, then pushed the Clone back to disorient him more as she whirled for a backhand. Unexpectedly, her blade only met the levelling barrel, knocking the weapon from her face before it fired. She kept her spin, swinging her shield for his face. The Clone grabbed it with his hand, leaning in and bashing her in the face with his elbow.

Jaune attacked, striking the barrel of the weapon down before the Clone finished off Pyrrha. Jaune struck again, just skimming off the Clone's chestplate. The next swing came close, and the Clone panicked, throwing himself into Jaune. Jaune fell to his butt, and was nearly executed, but raised his shield just in time. With a low swing, the Clone fell back, firing three more shots, Jaune keeping his shield raised as he got up. The Clone threw himself into Jaune's shield this time, but Jaune was ready and eager this time, letting the Clone push past him, then bringing his blade down. The Clone saw his error very quickly, and only took a small gash to his right forearm, the blade cutting through the white armor. He had dropped his weapon in response. Jaune's victory, however, was short lived. The Clone smacked Jaune across the face, hard, Jaune nearly toppling over. Desperately, he swung again, the Clone this time sidestepping away and cross-lining him in the throat. Jaune landed back first into the ground. He felt a boot meet his neck and his airway cave in for a split second, but it was enough to make him choke.

Pyrrha got up, seeing the Clone about to finish off Jaune with a stomp to the neck. Not being close enough to strike, she threw her shield like a frisbee, moving at high speed through the air. She was genuinely surprised to see the Clone whirl around and catch it, absorbing the impact into his chest. Miló morphed into its spear mode and Pyrrha charged. The Clone cranked back and threw the shield right back at Pyrrha. Pyrrha didn't stop her charge, leaping into a midair spin right over the shield, landing on her feet and into a strike. The Clone raised his gauntlet, letting the spear smash right into it, then grabbing hold of it. Pyrrha tried to maneuver and knock him off guard, but the Clone was stronger than her. For some reason though, he was distracted by something behind her. At this moment she had heard an explosion, a scream, then something crashing into a bunch of crates.

 _Ren. Nora._

Pyrrha forced him back, yet she realized she had regained his attention. She nearly blacked out when he head butted her, then pushed the spear back into her. Pyrrha stumbled back, unable to strike for two seconds, giving the Clone plenty of time to dive right behind her and under a wide swing. She whirled around the crouched Clone, his back faced towards her. She had him, and there was no way he was blocking this strike, as she hefted the spear like a javelin, ready to send it into his back with the combined power of the built in rifle recoil. Just as she was about to throw, the Clone turned halfway, and with a slide and click, Pyrrha realized what he was doing. The Clone's shotgun levelled with his hip, firing before the spear left her hand.

All at once, she felt her aura dissipate, and multiple flechettes tear through her leather top, entering her abdomen. The force of the blast knocked her back. For all her effort, the spear missed it's target, passing over the Clone's shoulder by a foot. Pyrrha fell to her back, just feeling her hand touch the warm blood that was beginning to ooze out. And she laid there.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune screamed as he saw her fall.

The Clone raised his shotgun, firing off two slugs at him. Jaune raised his shield, falling back when the Clone also retrieved his blaster carbine, laying down suppressive fire. Nora tried to come up the flank, but the Clone saw her first, firing back to keep her from pushing up. Jaune looked past Nora, about to give Ren orders, but saw him edging up against the shelf they took cover behind, limping with absolute pain in his face. He looked as if he was gonna collapse at any moment.

Jaune was lucky though. The Clone wasn't trying to engage. He was retreating. Jaune looked past the Clone and saw why. The other Clone was coming out of a shelf level, pushing through destroyed crates, clutching his arm and chest. He was hunched over, looking as if he could barely walk. The Clone Jaune had been fighting kept up the suppressive fire, edging closer to his comrade. Finally, he put free his arm around his comrade and helped him out of the warehouse, one handing the blaster carbine.

Finally, he was out of sight.

"Nora, Ren, are you guys okay?" Jaune called out.

"I'm fine, but Ren is hurt." Nora replied.

"Ren?"

"I think my leg is broken," Ren winced, slowly sliding into a sitting position. "I can't walk."

"Nora, we are clear for now," Jaune stated as he made his way to Pyrrha. "Get Ren clear and then help me with Pyrrha. She's bleeding out."

"Should I call for help?" Nora asked.

"Yes," Jaune replied. "Find Ruby, Shadow, or anyone."

Nora nodded, then proceeded to help Ren.

Jaune looked down at Pyrrha. She was a little dazed out, staring at the ceiling like her senses were dulled. Jaune put his hand over the wound, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

"Stay awake, Pyrrha," Jaune told her. "Stay awake."

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow kicked the door into the next warehouse. He had trailed his target here, more secluded from the action. He rolled off to the side of the doorway, watching his motion tracker. After poking his head in quickly, he was satisfied nobody was ready to shoot him through the door. Shadow winked his night vision filter on, making sure the safeties on his dual sidearms were off before breaching the doorway. He kept himself low, blasters trained forward as he scanned the room. His HUD ran tactical information of the area, noting spots of cover to utilize.

The room was dark, with only the moonlight coming through the doorway behind him providing him the necessary light to use the night vision. He wasn't going to find his target like this. There were too many places to hide, and this guy was lethal. Still, it really bothered Shadow that his opponent could possibly be more stealthy than Shadow, especially with the fact that this guy was wearing white plastoid armor. If anything, he should have been able to spot any shimmer of white by now. By now, he was in the middle of the room by the time he heard-

"Hello, _Shadow_."

 _Thud!_

Shadow whirled around as the door shut behind him. Then everything went green. Bright green. It was too much for his eyes to handle, but he burdened his eyes to see who was at the door. There he saw his opponent aiming a rifle at him. Shadow dived away, edging himself behind a pillar, hearing the sound of a blaster rifle. He closed his eyes and winked off the night vision, letting his vision recover. Still, he heard the pounding of the rifle. Shadow wanted to identify it as something else, but he knew it was a DC-15A. The sound was more stuttered, as if the weapon had been tampered with. When a shot penetrated the pillar and just missed his lower abdomen, he realized it was definitely more powerful.

"Pleasure to meet you!" The voice spoke again. It was his opponent. The voice of a Clone Trooper was always recognizable to him.

"Then I'm glad that I'm still that important to the Grand Army of the Republic then!" Shadow shouted back.

Shadow blind fired behind the pillar, emptying his sidearms to suppress his target. As soon as the shots stopped coming at him, he moved, running past an array of crates and shelves. The firing started again trailing very close behind, and in front of him. Wood, cardboard, and paper confettied and splintered everywhere as the shots punched through Shadow's cover. By then, Shadow had reloaded his weapons and started returning fire, consecutively firing one shot after the other, trying to get the flank on his target. One shot came very close, skimming across his pauldron, knocking off his bandolier and spare ammunition clips for his sidearms. Luckily, he had two more left. He clicked the release on the empty magazines and tossed the fresh ones in the air, throwing the butt of his weapons at them. The magazines lined up just right and slid into their compartments, loading the pistols.

 _Last mags. Make them count._

Shadow skidded to a halt behind a tall metal shelf. The shelf itself was completely open, and Shadow used the stacked crates and boxes on it as cover and concealment. Wood and cardboard flew everywhere, but Shadow looked through the shelf at at his target, who was now falling back with Shadow's unexpected steady shots. It was enough to push him to take cover behind a pillar for a few moments. Shadow controlled his last dozen rounds though, only shooting when his opponent poked his head out. And he did to open fire, but he wasn't shooting at Shadow. Shots flew left and right of Shadow, taking out the shelf supports. Then Shadow realized what he was doing.

 _Oh crap._

Shadow raised his arms and tucked his head in as the shelf fell on him. One level managed to trap his leg, but the crates and boxes that fell on him felt worse, as they threatened to bury him. He lost one of his sidearms in the debris, feeling bruises all over his body. He shook and threw off any crates or boxes that landing on him, then tried to lift the shelf off to free his leg. As soon as he got himself upright to lift, shots started flying at him again. His opponent moved on him, rifle raised. Shadow eyed his motion tracker waiting for him to get closer. All Shadow could do at this point was suppress. Suddenly he exposed himself, squaring off a shot directly to the center of his opponent's chest. He pulled the trigger, watching his opponent drop to belly to avoid the round. Now was his chance.

Shadow readjusted his aim to the ceiling, carefully placing each shot to each light bulb, not caring about the falling glass. Once the room entered complete darkness, Shadow ignited his kyber crystal wrist blades, slicing the shelf level in half. Then he disappeared. Shadow didn't activate his night vision, as his opponent activated a tactical floodlight built into his rifle.

"What a waste of ammo." His opponent scoffed as he immediately traced Shadow's position.

Shadow charged straight at him, ducking left to avoid the shot. He grabbed the barrel of the rifle, shoving it down and away from his face, then threw a punch. His opponent leaned back to avoid the blow, but by then Shadow had yanked the rifle out of his hands. Shadow swung it around back at his opponent like a baton, but missed the attack, having the weapon knocked out of his hands. Shadow sprang at him, driving his opponent to the ground. His opponent didn't allow Shadow the victory for long, putting one of Shadow's arms into a lock, and swinging him off. Shadow rolled to his feet, spinning into a roundhouse punch, but his opponent was ready, deflecting the blow away, then the next. He landed a solid hit to Shadow's gut, then stepped away from Shadow's counter, only to jam his lower palm as hard as he could up the left side of Shadow's jaw.

Shadow's teeth came together in the worse way possible. He felt the impact all the way up his skull. He almost blacked out right there, stumbling over himself. He kept focusing, forcing himself not to fall asleep. He looked up at his opponent that was slowly approaching. Then he had an idea. Shadow pulled his vibroblade dagger from his belt, throwing it at his opponent's rifle on the ground, directly hitting the attached floodlight.

The room once more entered darkness. Shadow's night vision flickered on as he dashed away, keeping an eye on his opponent.

"Oh, the shadows," His opponent chuckled. "Why am I even surprised?"

Shadow moved as quietly as humanly possible. No matter what he learned in training, this was one thing he would never forget. Stealth. He was a Shadow Trooper. This was his specialty. Still, he moved with the utmost care, flanking around his opponent, preparing to strike with his wrist blades. Finally, he was directly behind his target, and now began to slowly creep up.

"There is one thing you should know about me, _Shadow_ ," His opponent taunted the thin air in front of him.

Shadow allowed himself a small internal laugh that his target had no idea what was coming. Then he planted his feet, coming down, then springing forwards, igniting the kyber crystal blades just a step from his target. But something happened. His target turned right at him before Shadow dashed. He caught the blade in mid strike, crushing the mechanism. Shadow winced as he felt a crack in his wrist with it. He struck again with his left blade this time, but his opponent caught this one as well, breaking the weapon as well. Then his hand went for Shadow's throat.

"-I don't _need_ eyes to _see_ you."

Shadow felt his breathing canal collapse, grabbing his jaw in response. He felt a hard impact to his chest, then was sent backwards into the ground.

"The shadows betray you, because they know they cannot beat me, just like you."

Shadow got up, drawing his last weapon; his Dark Sword.

"Ah, I was wondering when we would get down to blades," His opponent seemed pleased.

Shadow saw him reach down as his belt and pull out a metal hilt. Shadow had seen a weapon like that so many times throughout the Clone Wars. It was the last thing that Shadow needed to confirm who this was, and he wished it wasn't. His opponent, _Bane_ was his name, ignited the lightsaber, revealing the bright black blade. Shadow called upon his semblance, igniting his Dark Sword in black flames. The room began to glow with the blades providing illumination.

"Interesting blade," Bane noted. "Do you think it can match my prized weapon?"

Shadow didn't respond, gripping the sword in a two handed stance. Bane raised his lightsaber, the whirring hum filling the air. Shadow charged before Bane changed his stance, striking as fast and as hard as he could, but the black beam moved to the exact spot required to block, the blades making contact in a sparky flare. Shadow whirled for another strike, only to have it blocked once more.

"It appears your blade is a match for mine," Bane remarked. "Now we test the user."

Shadow concentrated his energy and fire into his blade, forcing himself into every smash and swing. Despite his anger, he focused himself, striking unpredictably and quickly. Regardless of his efforts, Bane parried and blocked every one, the black blade dancing around him. No matter how hard he tried, his strike was a failure. Bane's blade moved as if it were sentient, destined to win the night against Shadow. And now it was going to take that win.

Bane pressed his offensive, his strikes nimble and short. He was fast, faster than Shadow. The only reason Shadow had not taken a hit already was because of his aura. Predicting a blow was extremely difficult, and aura was typically not used for that, but Shadow used it's radar like properties as best he could.

It had only been seconds, yet Bane's unstoppable attacks made it seem like minutes. Blades of fire and light dances around each other as the two opponent's clashed and struck. Shadow began to wonder if he would make it through this one alive...

-Ranger 3rd Person POV-

Ranger's fight was interrupted by the unexpected escape by the Shadow Trooper and a group of fleeing gangsters. Ranger didn't waste any time engaging, diving away from the trailing shots and grabbing his WESTAR off the ground. He spun around, turning to aim, but found his vision impaired, firing anyway in the general direction of his targets. He ducked down, trying to adjust his vision. The deep cut above his left eye was the problem, oozing blood down his left eye, threatening to drown and paint the left side of his face. Ranger felt a shot skim off his shoulder plate, shutting his left eye and taking aim. Switching to the three round burst setting, Ranger quickly placed his crosshairs on one head after the other, immediately switching targets as soon as he saw his opponent's head jerk back. Within seconds, the group was down, smoke trailing from the area their faces used to be.

Ranger felt the cut starting to swell. He was gonna start getting dizzy from blood loss, but his adrenaline could burn through it for now. He turned towards his comrades, Viper and A-64, who were taking the girls head on. The ARCs were in a bit of a prolonged fight, but Ranger knew he would be the one to finish it sooner. He popped the stock back on his rifle, then extended the barrel, lining his scope on the one causing the most trouble. It was certainly the one in white. He flicked his setting to single fire and steadied himself on target. So much dust and debris had been kicking up from the battle that he had to switch to his thermal setting on his eyepiece. Ranger began to trace the girl in white, his crosshairs managing to follow her despite her quick movements. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he was interrupted on the commlink.

"Alpha 43 to Alpha 87," The ARC spoke. "Ranger, sir, are you there?"

"Go ahead, Spade," Ranger lowered his rifle, crouching down to oversee the battle safely. "What is it?"

"Ripper is injured," Spade stated. "He got hit pretty bad. I can't raise Red on the comms either."

"Get Ripper to the safe zone and locate Red," Ranger ordered. "I'll finish up with the others and we will meet you at the RV point-"

"There's more to the situation than that, Captain," Spade cut him off. "I intercepted a transmission. Local authorities have learned of our conflict and have made the Atlesian Military aware. A Capital ship is already enroute to enforce."

" _Fierfek!_ " Ranger cussed under his breath. He had hoped to end this tonight, but they didn't have the gear to fight off an aerial assault.

"Abort mission," He declared with disappointment. "Get Ripper to the evac point. We'll find Red and RV with you there."

"Copy that, sir." Spade replied, and the link died.

-A-64 3rd Person POV-

One thing about being an Alpha ARC was instant respect throughout the Grand Army. That led to the perks of taking anything you wanted from the armory, even the things that weren't in the armory. As such, A-64 was quite adaptable in all weapons, including the odd sidearm in his hands.

A-64 brought the butt down onto the blond girl's head. She blocked his knee and knocked the pistol away from her face as he took aim. A-64 moved his head left as she came in close, throwing a punch at his face. The gun mounted on her gauntlet discharged right next to where his ear was, and would have deafened him if it wasn't for the sound dampeners in his helmet. A-64 smashed his left fist down into the arm and whipped her across the face with the pistol.

Catching a shimmer in his peripheral vision, A-64 sidestepped to the left, then back, avoiding an oncoming blade. He whirled around to face the user. It was the black haired girl, the owner of the pistol he was using. A-64 gripped the pistol by the end of the long attached ribbon, swinging it like a kusarigama at her. The pistol flew, smacking her right in the face. 64 yanked back on the pistol, pulling it back towards him. He grabbed the pistol out of the air, just in time to duck under the blond girl's jump kick. She spun back towards him in an exaggerated movement, telling A-64 what was the next move. He rolled out of the way as her fist blasted itself into the pavement where he soon moments ago, the concrete cracking on impact. He recovered into a crouch, levelling the pistol before she could even realize he had moved.

 _Click_.

 _Damn._

A-64 had not even seen these girls reload their weapons yet, and coincidentally, he ran out of ammo. There was no way to tell anyway. Regardless, he brought his arms up, blocking the oncoming kick, then stepped back up onto his feet. He gripped the ribbon, swinging the pistol around over his head, the blond girl ducking under it. She wasn't ready when the next revolution came low and smacked her knee, sending her off balance. A-64 twirled around into a hard sidekick, smashing her away.

Then the red one came around. A-64 caught her in his peripheral vision, throwing the pistol at her like a throwing knife. The girl ducked under and sped towards him at an incredible speed. A-64 couldn't even see her, only seeing a red object trailing rose petals. He barely dodged her first swing of her Scythe. A-64 whirled around to face her as she spun into a series of strokes, her Scythe spinning around her with absolute precision. He didn't lose his cool though, backing up, leaping or evading the quick swings, searching for his opening. He found it in the diagonal stroke, stepping forward and angling himself to avoid the blade. He gripped her Scythe arm with his left hand, pulling her close for a solid punch to the jaw. A-64 booted her away, grabbing the Scythe and disarming her within the same fluid motion.

He threw the weapon away, sidestepping and catching the surprise kick of the girl in black, locking her leg between his left arm and his side and gripping with his right arm around her waist. A-64 spun and threw her face first into the concrete three meters away. Then the blond girl came around almost landing a right cross to his face has he not leaned back to the right. He grabbed her fist with his left hand, reeling her close as he leaned in and smashed his elbow into her gut, then not even half a second later, reeling back and forcing his elbow into her face. The blond girl stunned, A-64 pulled on her arm, throwing her over his shoulder and flipping her to the ground.

A-64 leaned back as her boot went for his face, reacting by grabbing it and lifting her up, throwing her up just long enough for him to spin into a side kick, smacking into her mid air and sending her tumbling away.

"Alpha 87 to Alpha 64," A-64 froze for a second as he heard a voice over the commlink. "Respond."

"Alpha 64 copy," A-64 replied.

"64, enemy reinforcements incoming," Ranger spoke. "Units are aerial."

"How long?"

"Not long." Ranger replied. "We're aborting mission. Get to the evac point. Red was also in your area but I can't reach him."

A-64 frowned for a split second behind his helmet. Red was supposed to be on a rooftop, picking off threats or laying down suppressive fire. It occurred to him that Red has stopped firing at this point.

A-64 leaned back as the massive red Scythe passed over him. The girl in red twirled it around her body for another swing. The ARC almost pressed his attack when he heard footsteps behind him getting louder. A-64 leaped back and whirled around, deflecting the oncoming fist of the blond girl, bringing his right arm under her's, then behind her head. He brought himself behind her, wrapping his left arm around her neck and securing the death grip by grabbing his right wrist. The girl in red held her attack as A-64 kept her choking comrade in her line of attack. Something caught his eye in the background. He craned his head higher, still tightly holding the struggling blond, using his eyepiece to have a better look. The tactical information that flowed over his HUD confirmed his finding. ARC Trooper Red lay on the ground in front of the building he had been perched on, flat on his back with his arms flailed, non-responsive.

"A-64, do you copy?" Ranger requested an answer once again over the comms."

"Acknowledged, sir," A-64 replied. "Just found Alpha 48. Meet you at the RV point."

A-64 ran a quick plan through his head in seconds, it involving his fallen DC-15A rifle just several meters behind the girl in red. If he got to that, then escape would be imminent.

"Alpha 39, Viper, I'm gonna need some cover for the retreat." A-64 contacted his nearby comrade over the commlink.

"Got my hands a little full from this kid here," Viper replied. "But I've got grenades to spare."

"Give me that cover in five-"

A-64 released his left arm, keeping the blond girl secured with his right as he did a half turn around, bringing his forearm at an angle to deflect the blade of the girl in black, side kicking her away.

"Four-"

A-64 kicked the back of the blond girl's knee, putting her to a crouch. His left fist came across the back of her head like a bludgeon, then he kicked her into the ground.

"Three-"

A-64 dived forward and under the Scythe swing of the girl in red, rolling into a crouch, landing right in front of his rifle.

"Two-"

A-64 whirled as he picked up the rifle, knocking the oncoming Scythe off its intended killing blow with his barrel. A-64 leaped forward and slammed the barrel into the face of the girl in red, sending her stumbling into the ground.

"One-"

A-64 whirled around for a split second shot at the girl in white who had been engaging Viper. The shot flew clean, but despite it aimed at her heart, had just flew at the precise time of her spin to knock her weapon out of her hands. Either way, she was off Viper's back.

"Now!" A-64 declared as he dove forward and away from his previous three opponents.

Surely enough, three booms resounded behind him. A-64 whirled to see his success. A second later and the three girls would have been on his back. Now they sat stunned on the pavement, recovering from the grenades that had prevented their attack. A-64 laid down suppressive fire, forcing the girls away. Surely enough, they stumbled back as they recovered, evading a few shots, then dashing into a retreat.

A-64 wasted no time in engaging them. He saw that Viper didn't as well. He ran towards his fallen comrade Red, grabbing him by the arm and throwing the ARC Sniper over his shoulder, then sprinting for the Rendezvous points, turning to fire a couple shots to ensure he wasn't being followed. Hip firing from one hand was not the best way to confirm a kill at this range, but he had to get his comrade to safety. Red felt limp over A-64's shoulder, but it didn't matter. As long as they made it to the RV point, they were home free.

-Yang 3rd Person POV-

Yang stumbled out of her sprint, slipping and falling to her side. Her aura had been dissipated at this point. Shots were still loosely flying around her, but it was nothing to worry about. The Clones were retreating. She couldn't figure out why though. The explosions had rattled them around, and it would have been easy to kill at least one of them, but all she could see through the smoke and debris was a shadow of a retreating armored figure. She looked around for her teammates, catching Blake on all fours. The two exchanged glances, Blake giving her a look that she was okay.

"Ruby!" Yang coughed as she sat up calling her sister. "Ruby!"

"I'm over here!" Ruby called back as she approached, folding Crescent Rose to its portable mode. Weiss was right behind her.

"They are leaving." Weiss noted as she helped Blake up. "I don't know why. We didn't exactly have them on the run."

"I'll tell you why," GT said, announcing his arrival. "Atlesian Airship is arriving. Someone heard the noise we were making."

"Where is TJ?" Ruby asked.

"He's with Jared," GT replied. "I got them secured at a building across."

"How is Jared?" Yang as she got to her feet.

"Definitely wounded, but he'll live."

Yang sighed in relief. They had been separated during the battle, and she had not seen them since.

"Any word from anyone else?" Blake asked.

"No," GT shook his head. "I don't know why comms are still down. I can't even get a scroll signal."

"Not even Shadow?"

"I thought he was with you guys."

"He ran off," Blake stated. "I don't know where."

"There might have been more Clones than the ones we encountered," GT thought. "I haven't heard from Team JNPR either."

"They should be in the warehouse." Yang stated.

"Yet the shooting has stopped and they still haven't come out…" GT shook his head. "Yang, Blake, go look for them. Weiss, head to the building I was positioned on at the start of the mission. Check on Jared and TJ. Ruby and I will find Shadow."

"Maybe I should go with you." Blake suggested.

"We'll find him, Blake," GT assured her. "Just stick with your partner."

"C'mon Blake," Yang pulled on her partner's arm. "Let's see if Jaune and them are alright."

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

Bane was genuinely surprised with Shadow's ability with the blade, but was even more fascinated that his sword was capable of countering a weapon such as a lightsaber. Black flames lanced and splashed from Shadow's blade as the two swords danced around, giving eerie shadows throughout the room. Regardless, this was Bane's fight. The force was with him, guiding every strike, predicting every attack, and maneuvering his body like a ballerina. For the elegant and emphasized strikes Bane employed, he was deceptively fast, his black beam never in a place it shouldn't be. It gave Bane some sort of sensation of amusement, watching Shadow trying to hard to land a single blow, when Bane was slightly toying with him.

Bane sidestepped from a downwards stroke, whirling to block another swing and continuing his spin into a low swing. Shadow jumped over it, swinging at Bane's head, his blade only meeting Bane's. Bane stepped back, then around Shadow, striking high to low three times consecutively, Shadow barely having any time to bring his blade to bear. Then Bane got in close, bringing his lightsaber up, threatening to separate Shadow's jaw from the rest of his skull. Shadow leaped back, Bane hearing a slight gasp as the beam tickled his chin.

But Bane had now had his fun, and it was time to end this.

Bane lunged forward, Shadow barely dodging the blow. Bane continued his movement, spinning into a high strike, then a low. Shadow ducked under the high then blocked the low, Bane sliding his blade around the Flaming sword and lunging once more. With a hiss, the beam tapped Shadow's left shoulder, melting right through the armor and pauldron. The Shadow Trooper winced, his facial expression noticeable behind his hood, brightened by the fire and light. He stepped back, striking to cover his retreat. Bane merely held his ground, deflecting the blade away, then whirling around into a spin. Bane struck across high to low, leaning in for two more quick strikes to the abdomen.

The Shadow Trooper avoided the first swing, blocking the second, but the third grazed his right hip, once again melting the armor around it.

Bane had him off balance now, throwing himself into a smash, knocking Shadow back onto a defensive stance. Bane spun the other way, getting his left heel under Shadow's, and hooking the leg up. Shadow had began to stumble back, but not before Bane finished his spin, landing a deep slash into Shadow's left side, cutting all the way to the center of his abdominals. The SBH Commander let out a cry of pain as he whirled onto his back, the cut still hot as coals and searing the flesh.

Bane strode towards him slowly, letting his opponent get on his knees, back facing him. It was most definitely reckless to give Shadow this much time to recover, but the force protected Bane, and he was expecting an attack. Like destiny, Shadow whirled in a vain attempt to spill Bane's guts, but Bane slashed first, getting a clean blow right across the chest and under the pauldron. The pain caused Shadow to miss the blow, the SBH trooper dropping his sword from the pain.

Then Bane used his favourite attack, summoning the darkness, the hate, the rage against his opponent for the deaths of his friends, channeling it into a single attack. Bane lunged his free hand forward, electricity and lightning jumping from his fingers straight to Shadow. The lightning zapped the SBH Commander, letting him release cries of pain as he weakened, toppling to his side. The pain didn't stop for him and Bane did not let up on his attack, Shadow screaming and twitching in agony on the ground. Bane planned to kill him like this, shutting off his lightsaber and hooking it to his belt. Any minute now, he would start cooking, and he would die painfully.

"Alpha 87 to X-21, come in," Ranger's voice interrupted on the commlink. "Bane, _respond_."

Irritated with the interruption, Bane hesitated ceasing his attack for a few moments, then dropped his hand, activating the commlink.

"X-21 responding," Bane replied with gritted teeth. "What is it Captain?"

"Military force approaching to restore order," Ranger explained. "Capital Ship is coming."

 _No. Not right now..._

"ETA?" Bane asked reluctantly.

"Forty seconds till they are directly on top of the main warehouse, so that leaves us twenty seconds before they deploy."

"Actions?"

"We're pulling," Ranger stated firmly. "Get to the RV point, _now_."

"Sir," Bane argued. "We _can't_. Not right _now_."

"We don't have the armaments to take on a Capital ship, and we have two men down. We aren't fighting this."

"But _Sir_."

"That's a direct order, X-21," Ranger growled over the commlink. "Get to the RV point in thirty seconds or we leave _without_ you."

Bane felt betrayed. A rage filled his chest. His arm began to spark. _Fierfek!_ Time had saved his opponents. His target lay at his feet, at his mercy, and now his victory was to be ripped from him. But Bane figured he could spare a few seconds, grabbing the hilt of his lightsaber once more.

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow thought he had felt the most pain he ever would already. Boy was he wrong. As he lay on the cold floor, his injuries began to burn again. The stab in his shoulder, the cut on his hip, the gash along his side, and the slash across his chest burned. It was like experiencing the pain of a laser bolt, except a longer result. But none of that compared to the electricity that surged from Bane's arm. Shadow hadn't been shocked before by electricity, and a constant and powerful surge still left him tingling. He felt paralyzed, not being able to move. In reality he was exhausted from the constant pain, but the reason made no difference. He couldn't move, and his opponent stood over him.

But the pain had stopped. Shadow had no idea why Bane had stopped electrocuting him. Shadow opened his eyes, sparing a look at his opponent. Bane's head was tilted a little bit away from Shadow, as if he was talking to someone on the commlink. It made sense. The other Clones must have been on his team. He was thankful for the interruption though. He tried to summon his aura to strengthen himself, but it was depleted. He was stuck there. Shadow struggled to get up, but a boot stopped him, planting itself in the center of Shadow's chest. Pinned down, Shadow heard the threatening ignition of the lightsaber once again. Bane brought the blade up for the killing blow.

All Shadow could do is look at this point. He was to tired to even scream. After so long, this was the way he would go. He closed his eyes. _Sorry Blake._

Shadow heard an unexpected sound after the lightsaber whirr. It sounded like a ricochet. Shadow opened his eyes, seeing Bane blocking blue bolts flying towards him. It was unmistakably a Deece. Another sound followed, with shots coming at a different angle. Shadow rolled over halfway, catching a glimpse of his rescuers. GT took a vantage point behind a crate, spraying down at Bane while Ruby came at an angle, firing as well with Crescent Rose in its high caliber sniper mode. Shadow expected Bane to engage and kill the two, but the loud echoing rumble of a large aerial vehicle told Shadow why Bane was retreating. The Atlesian Military had arrived.

Shadow put every last piece of energy into getting himself almost upright. Bane was moving at lightning speed, the black lightsaber leaving waves in its wake as it travelled around Bane in arcs. Shadow decided to make the task of blocking lasers and bullets more difficult, lunging his leg out at Bane. Bane took the kick in the knee, putting him off balance, allowing one of GT's rounds to skim his helmet. Bane jumped back, hooking his lightsaber to his belt. He brought his arms closer to him, as if he was charging something. No. He was charging something. Shadow tried to scream "Down!", but by then, Bane's hands were spread out, and Shadow, along with GT and Ruby were flying across the room.

Shadow slammed into a wall, landing on his side, right next to one of his DC-17 hand blasters. Shadow weakly picked it up, aiming it at were Bane had been moments ago. He was gone now.

"Shadow!" GT called out, coming right next to him. "Shadow! Are you still with us?"

Shadow opened his mouth, but only found himself nodding. GT kept checking his back, as if expecting Bane to still be there.

" _Shit_!" Shadow heard GT mutter as he inspected Shadow's wounds.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Ruby asked, somewhere out of Shadow's line of sight.

"We've gotta get him out of here."

GT turned once more, cursing to himself as he levelled his rifle around the room.

"Ruby, cover us," He ordered in frustration. "We're leaving."

Shadow felt GT wring his fingers down Shadow's neck, grabbing him by the rim of his chestplate, pulling him into a sitting position. A sharp pain filled all of Shadow's wounds from the sudden movement, and kept burning as GT began to drag him out the building. Ruby was in front of him from his point of view, backing up as Shadow was dragged out, her sniper levelled at her hip, making sure their back was clear. Shadow didn't know if he was dreaming or not, but before everything faded to black, he swear he could have seen Bane once more in the shadows, glaring at him, sending a mental message. The message was simple.

 _This isn't over._

-Mack 3rd Person POV-

Walking around in full armor wasn't something out of the ordinary at the Arca Company Barracks, but walking around with full armor _and_ gear was a different story. Strolling Commandos, Shadow Troopers, and ARCs didn't seem to take notice though. Well, the ARCs did, but they didn't try to ask any questions. He was a General. Why should they? There were always secrets kept.

But Mack was in a rush. He kept his pace as closely relative to normal as he could, but he didn't slow down for anything. Just mere minutes after their last conversation, the Supreme Commander ordered the prisoner transfer of the 501st Sergeant. The Arca Barracks wasn't meant to be a station to hold prisoners anyway, but Mack had been confined to base. He wasn't even allowed to be back here. He kept a countdown time of when the Sergeant would be transferred on his HUD. He had very little time to do this. Actually, he couldn't really figure out _what_ he was doing, or really, _why_ he was doing it. He could only see one footstep ahead of him for this.

"Sir?" A hardened Concord Dawn accent almost startled him.

Mack looked up to see the ARC Captain he had just run into. Alpha 26, Maze, was an assistant and tactical advisor to the Brigade Director. The Alpha ARC had his helmet to his side, looking at Mack with a raised eyebrow.

"Captain Maze," Mack nodded. "As you were."

"Yes, sir," Maze replied unsurely. "I wasn't expecting to see you back here. You are supposed to be at GAR Headquarters, are you not?"

"Last minute change in orders," Mack tried to play it off. "Atomos has a rapid deployment in six hours."

"I didn't get that memo." Maze didn't seem to be entirely convinced, but as a General, there wasn't a reason not to believe him. "Anyways, I'm off to the briefing room. Delta squad wants a search and rescue mission to Kashyyyk."

Mack remembered. He'd been here at his desk organizing Shadow Trooper teams for the assault on Utapau when the news of Delta 07 being left behind had come in. Commandos were more tightly knitted than Shadow Troopers. They took the loss of a squadmate to heart. It was like losing part of your body for them.

"I'll let you go then." Mack nodded and shifted to the side to get around him.

He managed five paces before he heard a discouraging "General Mack…"

 _Damn_ , Mack thought, _he knows. He knows I'm not supposed to be here_. Mack decided what to do. He could shoot Maze right now. He had been practiced in drawing his sidearm and clicking the stun setting on in a fluid motion, but despite Maze having a desk job with virtually no combat during the Clone Wars, he was still an Alpha ARC. So Mack just turned, slowly, his eyes behind his visor locking with the Captain's.

"We lost contact with three of your teams," Maze stated.

Mack felt a wave of relief. He didn't know. But he shouldn't have felt relief. Three teams?

"Which ones?" Mack asked.

"Winters and Slow were on a deep reconnaissance in the Outer Rim," Maze started. "We lost contact with them eight rotations ago somewhere on Tatooinne. Too early to decide on them, but Christo's and Miller's five man teams have been confirmed KIA and Mesawin's trio are missing on Mandalore."

"What's been happening?"

"Not sure what happened with the duo on the dustball planet, but Christo's group went down on board the RAS _Emperor_. All hands lost when they got ambushed by two rogue Separatist Destroyers on the way back to Coruscant. Miller's group got their cover blown behind enemy lines in the lower levels towards the heart of Insurrection territory right here on Triple Zero. Hard Contact and no way of extraction. As for Mesa, they were under deep cover for a risk assessment on Mandalore's status as a result of the coup between clan Vizla and the Night Owls. If they are alive, we can send an ARC to make sure they stay that way, but if they need extraction, the only way we get boots on the ground is by taking the planet back."

Mack was shocked. For the past few days he had been worried about Shadow with this new evidence that suggests he and his group might be innocent when he could have just potentially have lost fifteen Shadow Troopers. SBH was meant to be the larger division made to fill in the dwindling numbers of ARCs and specifically Republic Commandos. If they kept losing numbers like this, _they_ would be the ones who were dwindling. It was hard to find good potential these days.

 _No_. These men, he could do _nothing_ about. Shadow, he could, and he _would_.

"Thank you for notifying me," Mack acknowledged. "Carry on, Captain."

Mack finally reached the holding cells. It wasn't hard to relieve the two Covert Operations Troopers guarding the entrance. All he needed to do was flash his rank insignia to their HUDs and they let him pass. Just as expected, the Sergeant sat there. He wasn't tied down anymore though. He only wore one set of restraints, being cuffed around a metal bar that had been mounted in the center of the table. It was time to talk. _Really_ talk.

"Hello once again, Tested, was it?" Mack greeted.

"Yes, sir," Tested looked rather uneasy. "Are you back for more questions?"

"Plenty," Mack nodded as he took a seat, helmet still on. "But for now I can start with one."

"I've literally told you everything at this point." Tested sighed, mainly in exhaustion. "I understand my words aren't good enough, but give my word as a soldier that I'm telling the truth."

Mack turned back slightly to his right, as if he was looking at the wall for no reason, but behind his visor, he side-eyed the camera in the corner on his rear high right. _Damn_. _If CC-088 didn't know I was here, he does now._ He had to be quick.

"Funny thing is, I believe you, Sergeant," Mack exhaled. "But I want others to believe you too. Do you know if there is any evidence anywhere that can confirm your story or at least reopen an investigation?"

"I would say Shash's helmet logs, but obviously they were tampered with as he really did falsify evidence. I can't think of anything accessible."

"Forget about accessible or inaccessible," Mack pressed for an answer. "Anything that you can think of."

"What good is inaccessible proof gonna do for us?" Tested asked. "We can't get to it."

"Just answer the question quickly."

Tested raised his eyebrow in confusion, taken aback by the snap. "What is the rush?" He asked.

Mack took a quick peek over his shoulder then glanced up at the prisoner transfer countdown on his HUD. He had just over a minute.

"You are being transported to a more secure location that I do not know of," Mack's words came out in rapid fire. "Your story doesn't sound so crazy, but nobody is interested in hearing it. If you don't give anything, Shadow and his group will be dead within a few weeks if they aren't already."

The Sergeant's eyes widened as he leaned in, suddenly giving his full attention. "What do you mean?"

"Classified information," Mack made sure to add to elevate the seriousness of his tone. "The Supreme Commander has issued a wet team of Alpha Class ARC Troopers accompanied with a force using Clone."

"Force using? -"

"No time to explain," Mack eyed the clock countdown as he spoke. "All you need to know is that the team is full of some pretty highly respected and heroic names in the Special Operations Brigade. These guys are some of the Republic's deadliest and are way above the paygrade of Shadow and his team."

"Why would the Supreme Commander issue-"

"He's pissed about Felwinter's group, but what matters is that if I could get any sort of solid evidence heavy enough to weigh into reopening the investigation on the Remnant incident, I can get CC-088 to call off the wet team." Mack placed his palms on the table and leaned forward more. "Give me _something_ so I can _save_ them."

The Sergeant looked down, frantically trying to remember. There were only seconds left before the transfer crew came. Mack would let them do their job, but if Tested gave one thing that could work as evidence…

Then, like a hiss of defiance to Mack's attempts, the door slid open. _Blast!_ Mack checked the timer. The clones were seventeen seconds early.

"General Mack?" One of the Clones seemed rather startled. It was hard to tell. His voice was stern and hard as iron. "I don't think you are supposed to be here right now.

Mack didn't turn his head. The Sergeant looked up at the Clones, slightly in fright, but Mack kept himself fixated on him. Tested as a result, continued thinking of any sort of evidence that was needed. Mack didn't need to turn his head to figure out what was a bit frightening about these Troopers. He knew they were Covert Operations Clones; the dirty hands of the late Chancellor Palpatine. It was a surprise to see these Clones come under the command of CC-088 rather than just have the unit disbanded and either cross trained to be Commandos or filed into the Shadow Black Hole Division.

"Sir?" The Covert Operations Trooper seemed rather unhappy with Mack being non responsive. "Would you please step aside and return to the GAR Headquarters? We've been ordered to move the witness."

 _Prisoner you mean, don't you_ , Mack thought to himself, remaining fixated on the Sergeant, _prisoner or corpse_?

"General, respectively, leave the room." Mack heard once more.

That's when Tested answered.

"We might have some data stored from the computers used by the Nova Squad," He muttered. "We also likely have helmet logs and lots of incriminating information when Designer cracked their database. We might also have Designer's logs."

 _Designer_! Mack gleamed behind his helmet. _Bingo_. That completely decided his next move. It would completely design the next chain of dangerous events that would occur.

"General Mack?" The Covert Ops Clone got impatient. "We will remove you by for-"

The Clone never got to finish the statement, because he had placed his hand on Mack's shoulder. Not even half a second of standing there, Mack launched his arm back and around him, grabbing him from the back of the head and slamming him face down into the desk. A loud _gong_ was resonated as his helmet met the metal table. The Clone dropped to the floor unconscious, but not before Mack spun around, performing his quickdraw. With a shriek and blue flash of a stun bolt, the Trooper's partner went limp.

And that was it. Mack had very little choice. He had to succeed, or suffer the same fate awaited for Shadow. Until he completed his mission, he was essentially a traitor of the Republic. Mack flicked the stun setting off and aimed at the security camera…

Then pulled the trigger...

-Shadow 3rd Person POV-

Shadow missed class that day. He and Jared both did, along with Ren. Aside from GT, who had come to check on the latter, the others had gone along as a regular day. The only class that GT went to was combat class. Everyone else promised to gather notes and the assigned readings from the class, and while it was unprofessional to skip, something told Shadow that Ozpin would have passed some sort of note down to the Professors.

When it came down to injuries, it was obvious to understand their absence. Despite the group being insisted on going to the hospital by Atlesian Medics last night, they Shadow and GT figured they could live without it. So they stayed in team TJGT's dorm, Shadow using Tested's bed as it was currently vacated.

Ren looked the best though. Other than a nasty stab, his leg was the worst story. With medicine provided by the hospital and the correct usage of Bacta, he'd be back on his feet in no time, maybe even by the end of the week, but likely Monday. When the others returned, Nora would go look after him.

"Fifteen thousand two-hundred eighty seven, fifteen thousand two-hundred eighty eight, fifteen thousand two-hundred eighty nine," Jared was counting, propped into a sitting position by his pillow in his bed.

"Ten," Shadow sighed in annoyance. "There, you are done."

"Hey, shut the fuck up," Jared growled. "I'm trying to concentrate."

Shadow rolled his eyes, trying to turn to his side and roll his pillow over his head.

"Fifteen-thousand two-hundred ninety, fifteen thousand two-hundred ninety one, fifteen thousand two-hundred ninety two," Jared continued.

"Can you let me get some rest?" Shadow groaned. "It's literally been _hours_."

"Well I'm trying not to lose my mind here, thank you very much you asshat." Jared shot back. "I'd rather not lose count because of you."

"You could have literally just talked to me for the past four hours," Shadow stated. "I could live with that compared to listening to you count like a Cadet in flash training."

"Hey, _fuck you_ ," Jared raised himself more, turning and prodding his finger at Shadow from his bed. "I didn't want to disturb your sleep by talking to you, you ungrateful piece of shit. Next time _you_ get a concussion, I'm throwing you off your bed and playing loud edgy music next to you. I'll be sure to leave your vibroblade in your hands to start cutting."

It was very easy for Shadow to forget that Jared had a concussion. He did have some nasty bruises over his body, but what topped the bill was the crack in his skull, blanketed with the deep cut made by a plastoid fragment that lodged itself in when a Clone punched the section of the helmet inwards. He had a Bacta patch over the wound. It really looked worse than it actually was, but a cracked skull would definitely fix it.

"If you two are done arguing," GT interrupted as he entered the room. "The rest of the gang should be back soon. Shadow, are you good?"

Shadow's injuries, all in all, were the worse. Along with having some nasty bruises, one large one on his right thigh from being pinned by a shelf, he had a minor fracture on his right wrist, and multiple lightsaber wounds. The fact that blows by a lightsaber seared the flesh, sealed wounds, and prevented bleeding was the only upside. The downside was the damage. It was like having slashes of third degree burns cutting deep into your body. The slash across the leg and the cut on his hip wasn't much of a problem. It was the deep gash on his left side cutting from his lower left back all the way to his left pectoral, and the slash across his chest. Those would be some scars that wouldn't fade. It burned every time Shadow moved and was freezing cold every time he didn't. Aura didn't do anything for him. The black blade passed through for the cut without trouble. It was something Shadow probably wouldn't forget for the rest of his life.

"I'm the best I can be right now," Shadow said reluctantly. "Some more Bacta would help kill the pain."

"Alright," GT nodded. "I can give you a dose right now, but I'll need to head to the hideout for more tonight."

"Make sure you aren't followed," Shadow warned. "Specifically by _them_."

"We're back!" Ruby announced the arrival of everyone else. Jared squirmed at the loud shout, glaring at her.

"Oh, sorry," Ruby said more quietly. " _We're back_."

All together, it was Team RWBY, TJ, Pyrrha and Jaune who had just arrived. Yang obviously went for Jared, sitting beside him on his bed. He gave her a wink as the two exchanged smiles. Shadow felt Blake's hand against his face. He responded by gripping it, looking up at her in comfort.

"Don't worry about notes guys," TJ broke the silence as he shook his binder in his hand. "I've made sure my handwriting was neat."

"So how are we all feeling?" Jaune asked.

"Like shit," Jared shrugged. "Shadow looks like he's in deeper shit."

" _Thanks_ , Jared." Shadow sighed.

"Ren should be fine," GT reassured Jaune. "Nora should be with him now. How are you Pyrrha?"

"Your medicine has been very helpful," Pyrrha gestured to her belly. "I feel fine."

"I had to pull five flechettes from your abdomen, the other seven being through and through" GT stated. "Normally people aren't fine from that."

"Aura is a great healing factor," Pyrrha pointed out. "Even if I'm not the best right now, I will be tomorrow."

"Speaking of through and through…" Jared nodded at TJ.

"Missed the important stuff," TJ waved him off. "If the shot had been an inch left, I would have been paralyzed, but other than that, it's a textbook injury."

"GT, you fixed my helmet right?" Jared asked.

"Yeah, easy fix," GT shrugged. "Also fixed Crescent Rose, Ruby. Left it in your locker."

"Can't wait to hold it again…" Ruby muttered to herself in excitement.

"Moving on," Weiss changed the subject. "Are we going to discuss what happened last night?"

"Yeah," Jaune agreed. "Something didn't go right. It was a trap."

"Those Clones," Blake added. "They were _waiting_ for us. They knew we were coming."

"I don't remember any of the Clones from the island _looking_ like that," Yang raised an eyebrow. "Not to mention _fighting_ like that."

"Their armor looked different." Ruby said. "Was that some sort of special armor?"

"Not really," TJ shook his head. "The armor that those Clones wore was a predecessor to what we were equipped with right now. During the Clone War, the Republic issued a stronger variant of our plastoid armor carrying a multitude of upgrades called Phase II. As Shadow Troopers, we are equipped with the Phase II SBH variant, equipped more for stealth operations." TJ took a breath, his face in slight confusion as he continued. " _That_ armor that _those_ Clones wore, was Phase I."

"What type of upgrades does your Phase II armor have?" Blake asked.

"Lighter, stronger, and easier to modify and equip with specific gear," Jared answered. "Every aspect of the Phase II armor was an improvement from the Phase I."

"Wait, stronger?" Ruby asked. "TJ shot one of them, and the shot didn't even penetrate. But when TJ got shot, the laser went right through him."

"Those weren't regular Clones," Jared explained. "The armor they wore was a modified or enhanced variant of Phase I armor, typically issued to ARC Troopers. The amount of extra armor plating they had and the amount of gear and skill they employed, I'd say that fits the bill as well."

"ARC Troopers, like Shash's squad?" Ruby asked.

"Worse," TJ stated. "Shash was an ARC, but his squad was recruited."

"This group was tough," GT shook his head. "Tactical efficiency all over the place. Combat skill like no other."

"They were fast," Yang scoffed. "So _fast_ , and _strong_. Each punch felt like an earthquake, and this is coming from _me_."

"Alpha ARCs," Jared stated. "Only ones I can imagine in the GAR still allowed to hang on to the old stuff."

"Is that a special ARC?" Ruby asked.

"It's an _original_ ARC," Shadow explained as he struggled to sit up. Blake tried to encourage him to stay put but he waved her off, getting upright and sliding his legs over the edge on his right to face the group. "The original one hundred ARCs were designated Alpha Class. They were the successful attempt at enhancing the standard perfected Clone template. To make the perfect human, more than perfect."

"That sounds very perfected…" Jaune said nervously.

"Smarter, faster, and stronger than a human can be," Shadow stated. "Not to mention trained by one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy. _That_ is an Alpha ARC."

"But how did they get _here_?" GT asked. "We would have seen them at the island assault if they were with the Republic attack force."

"And Shadow _destroyed_ the artifact Crystal." Jared added. "There shouldn't be any way to travel here."

"I think we are missing something important," Blake said. "Jared said these are the same ARCs that attacked the weapons cache on the island. Why were they helping the White Fang?"

"Picking up where Shash left off?" GT shrugged.

"Well, there has been a string of chaos in Atlas recently, specifically with the Atlesian Military," Weiss hesitated before continuing. "Members of the Schnee Dust Company have also been assassinated by your Republic _Deeces_."

"This isn't a survivor group." Jared stated. "They had a purpose. They had a reason to be there last night."

"You aren't suggesting they were there for _us_ , right?" Blake asked.

"How could they have known we would be there?" Yang added.

"Maybe… we were the target…" Shadow spoke, slowly thinking to himself. "We _are_ their objective."

"What makes you think that?" Jared turned to Shadow.

"Covert Operations, assassination mission," Shadow laid out a situation. "Stealth insertion into unknown territory. Little to no Intel. What's your first move?"

"Recon, locate target, surveillance," Jared responded like a computer, then he froze, looking more wide eyed at Shadow as he realized the explanation.

"What if we were being watched?" Jaune said it out in black and white.

"No," Jared shook his head in disbelief. "Us? _Us_? No way. We were trained for this shit."

"Tested _did_ go missing in _Atlas_." Ruby said. "And it isn't a coincidence they were there last night."

"We're being _hunted_." Shadow said grimly.

The room went silent.

"You think they are connected to Rezla," Ruby asked. "Or that guy that those gangsters were talking about in Atlas? _Bane_?"

Shadow froze in fear for a few moments. The name sent a chill down his spine. For the split second, he remembered what Bane had done to him last night. What was worse was how easy it was for him. What if it wasn't only him last night? What if it had been the others? What if it had been _Blake_?

"I don't know Ruby," The words child themselves out of Shadow's throat, the lies scraping vocal chords. "Maybe, maybe not."

Shadow noticed Jared looking at him from the corner of his eye. GT and TJ seemed to be doing the same, but they didn't seem as interested as Jared.

"So what's our next move?" Jaune asked.

"Lay low." Shadow replied. "Nora said she injured one of them and Ruby pushed another off a building. I don't think we should expect another encounter any time soon."

"You don't think they will sneak into the school?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"We'd be dead already if they did."

"Atlas patrols have been quite noticeable these days." TJ nodded. "Might be the reason they haven't tried to murder us in our sleep."

"Hold up, we are merely standing our ground? They probably took Tested," GT smashed his fist into his palm. "I'd expect us to be more prepared for a fight rather than sitting around."

"Oh come on," Jared said smugly. "You wouldn't go back into battle without your team carry would you?"

GT let off a small scoff as he waved him off.

"Yeah," Yang chuckled. "I'm here, so let's go."

"No," Shadow said firmly. "We lay low. Regain our strength. We can press our offense again when we are ready."

"Are we really just gonna wait for them to do more damage?" GT raised both his eyebrows.

"Yes."

The room went silent again. One would have been able to feel the deep emotion in the room. The girls were more confused, the twins shocked. Shadow was hoping no one would guess his emotion. But Jared, once again stared at Shadow,almost frustrated, but more agitated.

"Yeah…" He nodded. "You guys can get some rest for now. GT, you still have that Bacta to go get. Jaune and Pyrrha, you guys can go check on Ren."

"You sure you don't need us?" Blake asked.

"Trust me," Jared winked at her. "We don't die easy."

"C'mon girls," Ruby waved her team out. "Let's go check on Zwei."

Slowly, everyone began to file out of the room, GT noticeably stopping to turn and look at Shadow in disbelief for a few moments until his brother pulled him along. Shadow shifted the rest of his body back onto the bed, taking slow and exaggerated movements to avoid pain as he made sure his pillow was set. As he turned back to lie down, he saw Jared, still staring at him, waiting for Shadow to notice.

"Something to say, Jared?" Shadow started, then turned to face him.

"You were either cut by a very, _very_ hot sword, or those were lightsaber wounds, Shadow," Jared stated. "And even GT saw that look."

"It was a lightsaber," Shadow replied. "Surprised you figured that out."

"Shadow, when are you gonna tell us what we are dealing with?" Jared jumped to his question.

Shadow looked Jared right in the eyes. He couldn't say anything. _No_. He didn't want to say anything. Shadow broke off the stare and lay down as comfortably as he can.

"Just get some rest." Shadow ended the conversation. "We are gonna need it."

-Bane 3rd Person POV-

"How are his vitals?"

Bane and A-64 had just come into their makeshift medical center, returning from their perimeter security sweep. Their quick evac from last night didn't leave any trail to where they were squatted. Cameras were put down, so their getaway van was not traceable. There was doubt that the Atlesian Military would figure out that they had escaped in a van. Two tables had been set up with two ARCs in their place. It was Red and Ripper on each table. Spade had been looking after them. Both were injured, but Bane was more concerned about Red, who was still unconscious.

"His heartbeat has slowed a little more than normal," Spade replied to Bane's question. "Most of the damage was internal. He's pretty lucky, lucky enough that he's gonna be fine."

Bane looked down at the ARC Sniper. Spade had completely removed his armor, stripping Red's black body glove down to his waist. He didn't really look too injured, other than a fat, purple bruise just off the center of his chest, probably what had sent him overboard. His eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping, but his face was in a stiff serious expression, almost in a frown. Bane noticed an IV fluid set up, a tube running from a water bottle into his arm.

"Where'd you get the IV?" A-64 asked as he removed his helmet.

"Took a few bottles of water and some sugar from the corner store down the street," Spade replied. "Fluid is a bit crude, but it should suffice."

"Any permanent damage?" Bane asked, putting his helmet to his side.

"Nothing that time and Bacta won't heal," Spade answered. "Not expecting him to be on his feet tomorrow though. Give him a week before he is at minimum combat proficiency. It would be better if we had access to a Bacta tank."

"And him?" Bane nodded at Ripper on the other table.

Ripper lay almost in a similar fashion, except he had some padding set up under him, specifically supporting his upper right back and chest. He remained awake, turning to look at Bane.

"Ripper doesn't have anything life threatening," Spade replied. "Serious bruising on his upper right chest, a broken collarbone, and a few busted ribs. He might be good to move in about five days, but if he does, he'll be in tremendous amounts of pain."

"Still am," Ripper called from his table, voice sounding slightly strained. "More Bacta and pain killers would help."

"I take it he's out of the fight." Bane inquired.

"Red fell on his back," Spade explained. "Extra armor plating broke some of the fall, along with the impact being spread throughout his body. Ripper though, got hit with almost the same amount of force, except it was concentrated on the area of bruising. If that hit was towards anything important, he might have died. No. He's not getting back in the fight anytime soon."

"I actually recall you in a similar position a week or so ago, Spade," Ripper pointed out. "Look who is up in combat so soon?"

"Stand down Ripper," Ranger called from a corner of the room. "Put your strength into rest and healing rather than talking. You can join us when you are at least halfway recovered."

Ranger had been at the corner of the room next to a small desk. He had been doing something with his helmet in his hands. Bane noticed the Bacta patch above his right eye. He also knew that there was another two gashes across his back, stitched up by A-64. This had ruined his record of having no battle scars. Bane looked closer at Ranger, setting that he had been sealing the incision in his helmet with putty.

"Can't live with a hole in your bucket Ranger?" Bane asked.

"Never know when you need to seal your suit." Ranger replied.

"So how is everyone doing?" Viper asked as he entered, standing in the doorway.

"We're comfortable for the most part." Ripper answered in grimace.

"Weapons check?" Ranger requested his report right away. He had asked Viper to do an inventory checklist.

"Honestly, pretty spent, sir," Viper began. "We only packed what we needed for what was supposed to be one, maybe three encounters at most. We lost a few Deeces, but it's the ammunition we should be worried about."

"List it."

"All in all, thirty percent capacity compared to what we started off with when we moved here," Viper continued. "Only three rockets for the PLX-1, six launchable grenades,seven mags for the sidearms, four for the WESTAR M-5, three for the DC carbine and rifles, a smoke grenade, two flash bangs, and five thermal detonators. We also have about five more charge packs for the Z-6, but I didn't get the chance to recover that in our escape."

"All that ordinance…" Ranger clicked his tongue in disappointment as he placed his helmet down to his left. "Did we get any confirmed kills last night?"

Bane twitched slightly, almost unnoticeable. _No kills_. Nowhere closer to completing their mission.

"Red knocked one down," A-64 said. "Shot the one they call TJ through the back. Saved me from a kill shot."

"Was it a confirmed kill?"

"Negative," A-64 shook his head. "Target dragged off. Got too preoccupied to see any sort of visual confirmation."

"The Major got away from me as well," Ranger brought his hand to his chin. "We were briefed that they had powers, but it's an entirely different story on the battlefield. I hurt the guy bad. One moment he lay at my feet for the killing blow, the next moment he sent me off into the pavement, vanishing like a ghost." Ranger turned to Spade. "Anything on your end?"

"We didn't actually engage any of the Shadow Troopers," Spade shook his head. "Ripper and I fought a group of these _Huntsmen_ -in-training. Injured two of them. Could have killed the rest, but I didn't know how severe A-66's injuries were."

"Bitch with the hammer blindsided me," Ripper said defensively. "Superhuman strength."

"At least you are back in one piece," Ranger waved him off. "Bane? You engaged the leader, Shadow. Anything?"

"No, sir," Bane replied, doing his best to restrain his anger. His target was seconds from death, yet in those seconds, Ranger's call for a retreat had denied him that opportunity. He wasn't just angry. He was furious. He couldn't hate Ranger, but he was certainly mad. Still, there was nothing he could do, so he chose his words carefully. "Had I stayed longer to finish my battle, Atlas forces would have arrived and compromised the safety of the rest of the team."

"Right…" Ranger nodded in acknowledgement.

"What's our next move?" A-64 asked.

"We did a number on their team, but they did a number on us," Ranger replied. "With the Atlas Military on us, we lay low for now. Recon only. Familiarize yourselves with the streets and the area."

"How long are we just gonna sit around?" Viper asked as well.

"We aren't just sitting around," Ranger stated firmly. "Viper, see if you can broker anything with our so-called _friend_ to get some ordinance. A-64, look into what you discovered about our surviving troopers. Ripper, I want you back in Atlas as soon as you are cleared for combat."

"Isn't the fight here, sir?" Ripper tried to cock his head without causing too much pain to himself.

"We need to make sure our way back to the portal is secure," Ranger answered. "With more recon and Intel, we will most likely engage our targets again, and we will be out of here quick."

"What makes you think they aren't gonna lay low?" A-64 kept his usual stern expression.

"The Deeces," Bane picked up on it. "They managed to recover some weaponry, but they were there for Rezla last night."

"Precisely," Ranger raked his hand through his hair, then brought them to his waist. "They will be cautious and ready. We've lost the element of surprise, but we should all be more familiar with their fighting style. Now we crush the _Dar'manda_."

"I'll get to work on the data comb." A-64 jumped right onto his task.

Viper moved as well, following his comrade. The way these ARCs moved was quick. They wanted the job complete. Bane though, was furious. He didn't value speed in this mission. He wanted it slow. He wanted to take his time. He wanted the heretics who killed his friends to suffer, and he was gonna make it painful. He promised.

-Blake 3rd Person POV-

Back at Team RWBY's dorm, things had been pretty normal. Well, normal for everyone except for Blake.

Blake had been with her teammates playing the board game _World of Remnant_. It was something Ruby had brought from home, and the four had found themselves playing every now and then. The four girls were set up on the floor, Yang sitting criss crossed, Ruby lying on her belly, Weiss sitting with her legs to the side, and Blake sat with her legs folded up to her chest, holding them in position with her arms. Like normally, she played as Vale. Yang played typically played Mistral, and Ruby and Weiss interchangeably mixed between Atlas and Vacuo. Today she was Atlas, but she was losing. Yang, sneaky and competitive as she is, was winning once again.

"So Yang," Weiss said with a threatening tone. "How would you feel if I had found a way to sneak completely around your army and attack your walls directly?"

"I'd say you are bluffing." Yang crossed her arms with a cool stare as she took a quick eye down at the board.

"Then you are going to feel very ignorant on my next turn." Weiss lifted her chin up and to the right with mischief on her face.

"Bring it on, Ice queen!" Yang brought her fist in a challenging response.

"Who knows Yang," Ruby dangled her legs up in the air with a satisfied grin. "Someone other than Tested might actually beat you this time."

Blake hadn't been entirely focused on the game. Bringing up Tested just made it worse. She didn't know how Ruby had just brought that up right now without any sort of remorse. Weiss hadn't even flinched. They still had no idea what had happened to him. She couldn't even forget that they had almost died last night. Sure, they had been through rough times before, whether it was a mission or field trip fighting Grimm, stopping Roman Torchwick, or dealing with Shash and his Nova Squad, but it had been worse that night. Every single one of them had been seconds or inches from death.

She couldn't even forget the injuries. Out of the four girls, Blake just had a bruise on her chest that Aura would heal in no time and Yang's wrist felt like she either popped it out and in or tore a lot of muscle. The guys though… TJ almost got shot through the spine or heart, GT had multiple blaster wounds over his entire body, Jared had terrible bruising and a concussion with a crack in his skull, and Shadow's nerves were still in slight shock, along with having multiple deep third degree burns, along with some minor cuts and bruises. Those four could have died more than ten times over, and they were lucky to still be alive. On the other hand, Ren had a broken leg.

"Blake?" Yang caught her attention. "You gonna go or what?"

"Oh, sorry." Blake spread her cards to look at what she could do.

"You are always the first one to be distracted." Weiss scoffed.

"What's up, Blake?" Yang leaned on her arm as she rested her elbow on her knee. She certainly made sure to fold up her cards and keep them behind her to oppose any curious eyes.

"It's nothing." Blake narrowed her eyes on her cards. She could still detect the other three girls staring at her.

"Just tell us what's wrong," Weiss rolled her eyes. "It saves us from going through the whole anti-social process for you."

"Something's obviously bothering you Blake," Ruby added. "We are all friends. We are here to help."

Blake sighed. "It's just that something is going on."

"You're still thinking about the raid last night?" Ruby shifted her body more upright.

"It's not just the raid," Blake shook her head. She released her legs and straightened them out off to the side. "Tested, the island, Torchwick, the White Fang; everything. We all know these events over the past week or so are not random."

"Something is always going down, huh?" Yang rolled her eyes.

"It's just that something could have happened to us last night."

"Well, that's not exactly anything new." Weiss shrugged.

"But last night was different," Blake pointed out. "It was just like fighting Shash again."

"That happened three months ago." Weiss said.

"And we beat them," Ruby pulled her legs in and got herself on her knees. "We just basically saved the world. It's not like you go a level higher than that."

"You know," Blake sighed. "If Atlas patrols hadn't spotted us last night and came to help, some of us might have died." The teammates exchanged glances.

"As long as we are together," Ruby finally said. "I don't think anything can stop us."

"Yeah!" Yang raised her fist in the air. "We've been through some rough encounters before and we have always come out on top."

Blake couldn't help but mirror the smiles on their faces, but she did so for seconds.

"I just think…" Blake glanced off out the window to look at the gleaming broken moon in the night sky. "I think that something's coming."


End file.
